Nets’ Ben Simmons misses Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Thunder with back soreness

Ben Simmons misses Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Thunder, but should be available Tuesday against the Spurs.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons missed Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to back soreness, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn reported during his postgame press conference. Simmons has missed 11 games this season due to various injuries relating to his knee and back.

“Yeah, he went through warm ups, felt some tightness,” Vaughn explained. “And so, that was a report I had and then, he was a late scratch. He’ll be on the trip with us. So hopefully, it’s one game.” Simmons was sorely missed in the loss as he could have been another person to create offense for not superstar Kyrie Irving, but for the supporting cast as well.

Before he wrapped up his postgame press conference, Vaughn did say that Simmons was not scheduled for an MRI. That sounds like good news since it implies that Simmons is only dealing with some occasional soreness and not something structural with his back at this point. Simmons is averaging 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 58.2% from the field.

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