Now that the Nets have returned home to Brooklyn, they offered updates on injured Ben Simmons and Day’Ron Sharpe.
And it sounds like both still have several hurdles to clear before they suit up again.
Simmons will miss at least the next three games.
But he worked out at shootaround Tuesday and could begin practicing with G-League Long Island soon, perhaps as soon as next week.
“He will not play this week, so that gives us [Tuesday], Minnesota, and Houston. So he will not play this week,” coach Jacque Vaughn said before the Nets’ 108-103 loss to the Knicks. “But all signs are pointing towards him … at some point, we’ll use Long Island to get a practice underneath him or get some more bodies around him.
“Hopefully, that’s in the near future.”
Simmons has been sidelined with a nerve impingement in his lower back and hasn’t played since Nov. 6.
The only All-Star on the Nets’ roster and their starting point guard, he’s played just six games this season.
“We’ll see what the next couple of days, how that unfolds, if we can get to a point of mixing Long Island in there and getting some active bodies around him and see how he responds to that,” Vaughn said.
Meanwhile, Sharpe acknowledged he still has a ways to go before his hyperextended left knee is ready.
“I think I’ve got a lot more steps I’ve got to take. Right now, I’m just still on the process of strengthening my leg back,” said Sharpe, who didn’t offer a timeline. “I don’t know yet. But I just feel good. Better. I feel like I’m going in a positive direction.”
Sharpe hasn’t played since Jan. 7 and missed a sixth straight game Tuesday.
So far he’s been limited to non-contact work.
“Really, I’ve just been on the bike and lift. I’m just trying to get my strength back in my leg,” Sharpe said.
Mikal Bridges went a career-high 7-of-10 from deep.
Nic Claxton had a career-high 17 rebounds.
Dorian Finney-Smith tied his career high with six assists, done three times previously.
Spencer Dinwiddie logged just one minute in the fourth quarter as the Nets got outscored 32-18 and shot 30 percent.
“What I’ve done in the past, that’s great to talk about, but it’s in the past,” Dinwiddie said. “Having some of the best clutch shots of all time, that’s that stuff from the past.”
Dariq Whitehead is still rehabbing a left shin stress reaction.
“Just trying to take the right steps to make sure my shin is where it needs to be before I step back on the court again to make sure there’s no setbacks,” Whitehead told The Post. “Just being 19, trying to make sure we take care of things the right way and not have to have any setbacks.”