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Ben Simmons Won’t Travel With Nets for NBA Playoffs vs. 76ers

Nets guard Ben Simmons won't travel to Philly on Saturday for his team's playoff game against the 76ers.
Justin Grasso|
Ben Simmons Won’t Travel With Nets for NBA Playoffs vs. 76ers
Ben Simmons Won’t Travel With Nets for NBA Playoffs vs. 76ers

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The Philadelphia 76ers assumed they wouldn’t face Ben Simmons in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, hence why Sixers head coach Doc Rivers declined to comment on his former player following a practice this week.

As Simmons suffered a nerve impingement in his back a few weeks ago, it was evident that Simmons’ playoff run with Brooklyn was in question. Simmons missed the final 24 games for Brooklyn during the regular season. Although he was absent from the court, Simmons remained on the bench with his teammates during the final stretch.

That won’t be the case on Saturday, though, when the Nets visit the Sixers for Game 1 of the first-round series. According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn confirmed that Simmons would stay in Brooklyn during the first set of games.

Also notable, Vaughn confirmed that the rest of the team is healthy. Therefore, former Sixers guard Seth Curry is expected to suit up and make another return to the Wells Fargo Center.

The Nets won’t rule out Simmons for the entire series at this time, but it’s apparent that the three-time All-Star has a slim chance of playing for the Nets again this season. With back issues lingering, Simmons will continue to rehab.

If Simmons doesn’t suit up for the Nets for the remainder of Brooklyn’s playoff run, it will mark the second-straight season the veteran sits out during the postseason. 

The last time Simmons appeared in a playoff game was during the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals when the Sixers came up short against the Atlanta Hawks. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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