Are Nets' Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton playing vs. Trail Blazers? Latest injury update
01/14/2025 09:03 AM
The Brooklyn Nets will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday at Moda Center. Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton are questionable on the team’s injury report for the front end of a back-to-back. Simmons is managing a lower back injury and has left knee soreness, while Claxton has right hamstring tightness.
Here’s everything we know about both players’ injuries and playing statuses vs. the Trail Blazers.
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Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton injury status for Nets-Trail Blazers
Simmons returned for the Nets’ last two games following a four-game absence due to calf soreness and lower back injury management. However, he has not yet been cleared to play in back-to-backs, and Brooklyn will visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The team has carefully managed the three-time All-Star’s load this year after his last two seasons were cut short by back injuries.
With Simmons set to sit one game during the back-to-back, it would be surprising to see him suit up vs. Portland, given the game’s draft positioning ramifications. The Trail Blazers are a half-game behind the Nets for sixth place in the draft lottery standings.
Meanwhile, Claxton popped up on Brooklyn’s injury report following Sunday’s overtime loss to the Utah Jazz. The sixth-year center has not missed a game since a Nov. 27 road loss to the Phoenix Suns. Head coach Jordi Fernandez has preached a cautious approach with injuries this season, saying he wants players to be 200 percent before returning from any ailment.
Given this and Tuesday’s game’s draft positioning element, it would be surprising to see Claxton play through any hamstring discomfort.
Cam Johnson and D’Angelo Russell are also questionable for the Blazers matchup. Johnson has missed the last five games due to a right ankle sprain, while Russell has missed four straight due to a right shin contusion. Cam Thomas will miss Tuesday’s game and the rest of Brooklyn’s road trip after he reaggravated a left hamstring strain that held him out for a month earlier this season.
The Nets have posted the NBA’s worst offensive rating amid their slew of injuries during a five-game losing streak. Portland has won four of its last nine and enters Tuesday’s matchup on two days’ rest. Deni Avdija (right ankle sprain) and Dalano Banton (illness) are questionable, while Jerami Grant (face contusion) will miss his eighth straight game due to a face contusion.
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