Report: Here's why Ben Simmons won't play vs. Celtics in Game 4 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Boston Celtics can extend Ben Simmons’ basketball hiatus a few more months with a victory Monday night.
The Brooklyn Nets have ruled Simmons out for Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series with the Boston Celtics, the team announced Sunday.
While Simmons hasn’t played since June 2021 while recovering from a herniated disk in his back, reports prior to Game 3 suggested the All-Star guard was on track to make his Nets debut in Game 4 if all went well with the final days of his rehab.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, all did not go well with Simmons’ rehab, as the 25-year-old apparently woke up Sunday morning with back soreness.
It’s worth noting the Celtics have a commanding 3-0 lead in this series after a 109-103 victory Saturday night that seemed to demoralize Nets coach Steve Nash and star forward Kevin Durant.
Simmons, who has yet to play a game with his new teammates since forcing a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers in February, looked on (with a very colorful outfit) from the bench Saturday at Barclays Center as Durant and Kyrie Irving each logged over 40 minutes to try to keep up with a much deeper Celtics team.
Simmons and the Nets agreed he wouldn’t play in Game 4, per Wojnarowski, and it’s hard not to think the state of the series played a role in that decision.
Meanwhile, Boston may look to increase the minutes of big man Robert Williams in his second game back from injury while aiming to complete the series sweep of Brooklyn on Monday night. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. with Pregame Live right here on NBC Sports Boston, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
Note: Games 4-6 of the Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics series will be aired on NBC Sports Boston and can also be streamed on NBCSportsBoston.com or with the MyTeams App, which you can download below.
