Ben Simmons’ Last Minute Status Change for Nets vs Thunder
Just an hour before tip-off, the Brooklyn Nets downgraded point forward Ben Simmons (back soreness) to out vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Simmons, who is coming off an off-season back operation — microdiscectomy, in which a small fragment of a herniated disc is removed to relieve pressure on the spinal column — was limited early in the season. He did not play in back-to-backs and was on a minute restriction through the first 20 games.
Outside of Simmons, only superstar forward Kevin Durant (isolated MCL sprain) is ruled out for the Nets for Sunday evening’s game. Durant is projected to miss a month of action due to the injury. He is expected to be reevaluated in roughly one week so there is no further update on Durant at this time. The rest of the team for Brooklyn is available.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team has ruled Ousmane Dieng (Right Wrist, Small, Non-Displaced Fracture), Chet Holmgren (Right Foot Surgery), Aleksej Pokusevski (Left Tibia Plateau; Non-Displaced Fracture), and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Right Ankle Sprain) all out vs. the Nets.
A win for Brooklyn would give the team their 15th win in their last 17 games, along with their 19th win across their last 22 contests. The Nets, who hold the best record since Nov. 1 (25-9) are 7-6 vs. Western Conference competition this season.
The Nets will hit the road after their Sunday matchup vs. the Thunder for a five-game road trip.
Brooklyn will tip-off against Oklahoma City at 6:00 p.m. ET. After the contest, the Nets will hit the road for a five-game road trip: San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
