The Nets, in their own way, gave Ben Simmons something positive to likely return to on Monday against the Jazz.

While they did break their three-game losing streak in a 106-104 victory over the Rockets on Saturday in which the Nets once held a 28-point lead, the game wasn’t without the team’s usual fourth-quarter mishaps and letdowns.

But those miscues, the Nets believe, can be aided by Simmons’ return after his 2 ½-month absence to address a nerve impingement in his lower back.

“It’s not really easy for nobody to just come in like that and it be like a seamless transition, but obviously he’ll have good spurts,” said Cam Thomas after Saturday’s win. “I mean, obviously he’ll have bad spurts, he hasn’t played in a while. It’s tough. It’s tough for anybody.

“It was tough for me first coming back playing with the guys, trying to figure out where I fit in and just the rhythm of the game again. Just rhythm of the game, flow, the conditioning aspect of it. We can do as much conditioning as we want, the game is a different speed, it’s a different transition, different reads.

“The game moves fast, so we gotta give him some games, but I’m sure if he’s coming back he’ll be ready to go. … But we just gotta give him time. … It’s tough for anybody to come back and have a good transition like that, but I have my faith in him and he’ll be another great addition for us.”

One significant difference the Nets are looking forward to is having simply Simmons’ 6-foot-10 size, adding length to their rotation that has Simmons and Nic Claxton (6-11) as their tallest contributors.

Against the Timberwolves on Thursday, Brooklyn was noticeably lacking in size when facing 7-1 Rudy Gobert and 7-0 Karl-Anthony Towns.

While Claxton was competitive on the boards, he could have used Simmons’ help as Minnesota outrebounded the Nets 38-32.

The Nets were also bested on the boards by Houston on Saturday night, only grabbing 40 boards versus the Rockets’ 55 — including a 15-2 difference on the offensive glass.

“I’d probably say just doing everything for us. … It’s a good thing he’s like 6-10, that helps,” Thomas said with a laugh when asked what Simmons will bring to the table.

During what was a healthy preseason, Simmons was often noted for his fast-paced game, helping the Nets get out fast in transition to take advantage of more scoring opportunities.

In the six games Simmons has played this season, he averaged 6.5 points, 6.7 assists, and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 52.8 percent from the field. In that same span, the Nets outscored their opponents on fast breaks, averaging 22.3 points off the break and they outrebounded the opposition in four of the six games, averaging 45.8 boards.

Those numbers have dropped significantly in Simmons’ absence. In the Nets’ past six games, they have averaged 11.5 fast-break points and 37 rebounds per game.

“On the defensive end. It’s a big thing on the defensive end, he can guard 1 through 5. And offensively pushing the pace, and finding guys and being aggressive,” Mikal Bridges said. “It also has a lot of mismatch problems too, with who’s going to guard him and things like that. So, I think just on both ends with his aggression, pushing the pace and defensively as well.”

Simmons has only appeared in 48 of 163 games since the Nets acquired him during the 2021-22 season from the 76ers.

His salary this season is $37.9 million — meaning he has been paid roughly $6.3 million for each game he has played this season.

“I just want to have an impact. I want to come in and win games,” Simmons said Saturday. “We haven’t been winning lately. So, it’s one of those things where we have to get back on track. I’m looking forward to just playing my role and helping his team win.”