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As reported by the NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski has revealed that Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons will not play in the fourth game of the first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Simmons was set to return for Game 4 barring a setback but that's exactly what happened. The 25-year-old woke with a sore back on Sunday.
Wojnarowski tweeted, “The Nets and Ben Simmons expected he would be ready to play on Monday, but after getting on the court yesterday Simmons says he awoke with back soreness today. In the end, the team and Simmons agreed he'll remain out for Game 4.
Simmons hasn’t played in the NBA since last year’s second-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks where his shooting woes were exploited on national TV. The former LSU alumn had since demanded a trade from his former team Philadephia 76ers. He was finally traded to Brooklyn in February 2022 for James Harden.
So far the Brooklyn Nets have lost the first three games against the Boston Celtics in the playoff series. Their most recent loss came at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn where the Celtics won 109-103. Celts forward Jason Taytum scored 39 points with five rebounds and six assists while Jaylen Brown also added 23 points with four rebounds and five assists.
Whereas for the Nets, Kevin Durant had an unforgettable game as he scored only 16 points with eight rebounds and eight assists. After the game, he was disappointed with his team’s performance as he said, “We know what it is. I don't think no speech or anything will do at this part of the year. You know what it is. We're down 3-0. We got another game on Monday. Just come out and play.”
Nets coach Steve Nash cited fatigue as the reason they are struggling against Boston. He said, “Kyrie's fasting and Kevin has had to play 40-plus minutes for five, six weeks after missing six, seven weeks. We needed him to play 40 minutes (per night) or we wouldn't be in the playoffs ... So, I'm sure that's taken a big toll on Kevin. He's carried a huge burden for us for weeks on end -- Kyrie as well since he's been playing at home and on the road.”