OCEANSIDE — One team celebrated the return of its star, who has been missing from action for nearly a year. The other team played on as its superstar again sat on the bench in street clothes.
Ben Simmons, the Brooklyn Nets’ oft-injured former All-Star, played his first game in eight months on Tuesday night in a preseason matchup against the Clippers at the new Frontwave Arena. Simmons’ time off was evident as he scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting in 13 first-half minutes in a 115-102 Clippers victory.
“He’s worked really hard like everybody else, and he doesn’t want to be treated differently,” Nets first-year coach Jordie Fernandez said. “He’s built like a truck, he can guard multiple positions, he can rebound. I want to see that purpose, communication, physicality.”
Simmons has appeared in just 57 games for the Nets since being acquired two seasons ago. The swingman has averaged just 6.7 points for the Nets, well below the 15.9 points he averaged in four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers’ own fragile star, missed his second preseason game as he works to strengthen the troublesome right knee that has sidelined him since last season’s playoffs.
Like Simmons, Leonard’s return to the court is a process that could take time. More time than initially thought.
The team has been hoping that the two-time NBA Finals MVP would be healthy by the Oct. 23 regular-season opener, but Leonard has yet to participate in practice drills, instead spending time in the trainer’s room. The Clippers aren’t taking chances by rushing him back.
“The biggest thing for us is making sure we do right by Kawhi, you know, not letting him hurt himself by trying to get back early. We can’t skip steps,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “You know, our medical staff is one of the best in the league, and so we gotta make sure that we check every box, and that we’re doing everything the right way before we get him on the floor.
“So, if that’s him being pissed off with us because we protected him, then so be it.”
Luckily, the Clippers got all they needed from James Harden, who led the team with 14 points – all in the first half – and 13 points apiece from Kai Jones and Jordan Miller.
After struggling to get ahead of the Nets after a sluggish second quarter, Jones came off the bench and spurred the Clippers to take the lead. He finished with six dunks – five in the third quarter – to push the Clippers ahead, 83-76, heading into the fourth.
Jones signed with the Clippers late last season and re-signed in July.
The Clippers, led by Terance Mann’s eight points and two rebounds, jumped out to a 12-0 lead and led 35-18 after one quarter.
Norman Powell made his second start of the preseason, a role the guard is hoping to cement as the season progresses. He scored six points on 2-for-4 shooting in eight first-quarter minutes.
“(His defense) has gotten a lot better,” Lue said. “You saw that two years ago in the playoffs against Phoenix, when he took the challenge one on one. So, just challenging him every night to be good defensively because we know he can do it.”
Lue again tried out different combinations, fashioning one lineup of Harden, Powell, Amir Coffey, Nicolas Batum and Ivica Zubac with the Clippers ahead by 10 in the second quarter.
The Nets, however, weren’t fazed and managed to take advantage of the Clippers’ turnovers to grab their first lead against the veterans on a layup by Dennis Schroder that made it 41-40.
Brooklyn made it a four-point lead on a layup by Cameron Johnson at the 5:25 mark and eventually took a 57-54 lead into halftime.
The Clippers got a scare with 2:26 left in the first half as Derrick Jones Jr. appeared to get hit in the face while coming off a screen. He remained on his knees for several minutes before being ushered to the locker room. He did not return.