Ben Simmons put on an impressive performance in the Brooklyn Nets' thrilling 107-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Simmons' playmaking off the bench was surreal, but a concerning injury development is holding him out of the Nets' Boston Celtics matchup on Wednesday.
After being ruled out of the game with left calf tightness, Simmons underwent an MRI on the calf, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints reports. Jordi Fernandez called Simmons' status "day-to-day" while the team awaits the results, Slater added.
Hopefully, Ben Simmons will undergo a safe and efficient recovery from the injury and get back out on the court for Brooklyn. In 22 minutes, he totaled six points, a whopping 12 assists, five rebounds, and two steals against the Pelicans on Tuesday. In the process, he became the first Nets player with those numbers in under 30 minutes since Jason Kidd, per Stat Muse.
Simmons may not be the scorer he used to be on the Philadelphia 76ers, but make no mistake, he makes an incredible playmaking and defensive impact for Brooklyn. It seems Simmons' movement out of the starting lineup has allowed him to thrive. It would be tough to replace him if he were to be out for an extended period.
Brooklyn won't late injury woes stop their momentum
The Nets enter their Celtics matchup with a 5-6 record, which places them sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Brooklyn wants to keep the momentum from its win over New Orleans going despite not having Ben Simmons in the lineup. But it will not be easy.
The Celtics possess the second-best record in the East and are coming off a crushing 117-116 NBA Cup loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Boston travels to Brooklyn with purpose and wants to bounce back.
Brooklyn will need to give everything it possibly can to steal a win. The last time the two teams faced off on Nov, 8, the Nets came close to upsetting the Celtics on their home floor. Cam Thomas went toe-to-toe with Boston's stars, scoring 31 points. However, in the end, Jayson Tatum came up clutch and led the Celtics to victory.
Despite the loss, the Nets made a profound improvement in their rebounding. After ranking second-to-last in the NBA in boards per game through their first eight games, Brooklyn outrebounded Boston 51-39. It will take a similar if not greater effort for the Nets to come out on top in their second matchup.
Wednesday night's game with be Brooklyn's last before they take on their first NBA Cup challenge of the season against the New York Knicks on Friday.