Ben Simmons to return for Nets against Dallas Mavericks

Simmons didn’t travel with the team for the road games against Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets, but will return for the trip to Dallas.

Ben Simmons last played during Nets’ defeat to Indian Pacers. | Photo Credit: AFP

Ben Simmons is expected to return to the Brooklyn Nets’ lineup for the Monday night NBA game against Dallas Mavericks after missing four games because of left knee soreness.

The Nets upgraded Simmons from questionable to available, and Simmons told reporters at their shootaround that he planned to play and expected to be limited to about 20 minutes.

Simmons didn’t travel with the team for the games against Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets for the first two games of their three-game trip so he could continue getting treatment in hopes of reducing the swelling in his knee.

The No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft returned this season after missing all of last season, first for mental health concerns while with Philadelphia and then because of a herniated disk in his back after getting traded to Brooklyn.

He last played in a loss to Indiana on Oct. 29. The Nets went 3 wins and 1 loss in his absence from the court.