Ben Simmons will miss his second of the Brooklyn Nets' last three games after being ruled out with hip soreness Wednesday versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

Simmons received a rest night on Saturday against the Boston Celtics with Brooklyn on the back end of a back-to-back. However, head coach Jacque Vaughn said Wednesday's absence resulted from an injury sustained during Monday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

“If you look back at the game, there was a pocket pass that Spencer threw to him that he caught in the pocket. He kind of awkwardly went up and shot a lay-up or a half-hook kind of thing,” Vaughn said pregame Wednesday. “You definitely saw it in the game, so I think it was responsive to that play.”

Simmons finished the game against Milwaukee, posting two points, 15 rebounds and four assists on 1-of-3 shooting in 33 minutes. However, he reported soreness Wednesday morning while working through normal game preparation.

“He came in this morning to do his regular game prep, even though we didn't have shootaround, and just reported the soreness,” Vaughn said. “He did some manual therapy to go through his normal routine, and just for us, it's the best thing for him to be out tonight.”

Nets: Ben Simmons' injury concern

The Nets are no strangers to Simmons' injury struggles. The former number-one pick played just 42 games last season, missing three extended periods in the first half of the year before being sidelined indefinitely at the All-Star break. He was later shut down due to a nerve impingement in his surgically repaired back.

After an intense eight-month rehabilitation program, Simmons has had a productive start to the year for Brooklyn. The three-time All-Star ranks 11th in the NBA in rebounds at 10.8 per game and 14th in assists at 6.7 per game. His transition ball-handling and passing have been a focal point of a Nets offense that ranks second in the league in fastbreak points (20.6 per game) and seventh in offensive rating.

However, Simmons' passivity as a scorer has carried over from his 2022-23 campaign. He's averaging 6.0 field goal attempts per game and has been to the free-throw line twice in six appearances.

With Simmons sidelined, the Nets will be down three starters versus Los Angeles with Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson also out. With an in-season tournament matchup at Boston on Friday looming, Vaughn said Simmons is day-to-day with the hip injury.

“It’s going to be just really how he responds,” the coach said. “He'll get treatment tonight. We get the day in between Boston, and he'll get treatment tomorrow. And I'll touch base with him to see how he's feeling.”