The Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons was ruled out shortly before Sunday night’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to back soreness.
While all of the Nets players aside from the injured Kevin Durant emerged fit from Saturday’s training session, coach Jacque Vaughn reminded that Simmons’ back problems are tricky to navigate and easily aggravated.
“He went through warmups, felt some tightness,” Vaughn commented. “So that was the report I had, and then he was a late scratch. He’ll be on the trip with us, so hopefully, it’s one game.”
The Nets are about to embark on a five-game road trip starting with a game against the San Antonio Spurs. While the team sits second in the Eastern Conference, the Nets will have to cope without Simmons nor key player Durant in the squad.
Simmons has missed 11 games this season as a result of various injuries, including when he needed time to recover after undergoing back surgery during the offseason. His numerous injury concerns have prevented him from finding consistency this season. Simmons grabbed 13 assists and nine rebounds during his last appearance during the 109-98 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday.
