Thunder’s Simmons out against Nets because of back soreness

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons will miss the Brooklyn Nets’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night due to back soreness, the team announced on Twitter.

Simmons was announced by the Nets just 22 minutes before tipoff. The team had published a tweet about 50 minutes before the start of the game that said Simmons was “questionable.”

Edmond Sumner was scheduled to start in Simmons’ place.

Simmons had missed 10 games in this season. He missed five games because of left knee soreness. Four were due to upper lateral calf strains. One was for knee-and calf injury management.

Simmons is coming off a 13-assist, nine-rebound and two-steal performance in the Nets’ 109-98 loss to Eastern Conference-leading Boston on Wednesday night. Simmons was held scoreless by 0-for-3 field shooting in 26 minutes.

Simmons averages 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game this season. Simmons’ season high was 22 points against Memphis, Nov. 20.

The injury happened at the same time that the Nets were dealing with Kevin Durant’s absence for the second consecutive match. Durant suffered an isolated sprain of the right ACL in the third quarter of the Nets’ 102-101 win over the Heat in Miami on Jan. 8. The next day, the team released a statement saying Durant would be “reevaluated in two weeks.”

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