The Brooklyn Nets found themselves searching for offense in their last two losses with Kevin Durant sidelined. Production on that end would prove even more elusive with Kyrie Irving out Tuesday as the Nets dropped their third-straight 106-98 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Brooklyn shot 37 of 88 (42.0 percent) from the field and an abysmal 3 of 23 (13.0 percent) from three in the loss, the team's worst single-game mark in four seasons. The Nets received next to nothing from starters Joe Harris and Royce O'Neale, who combined for five points on 2 of 11 shooting. Seth Curry has provided a lift for Brooklyn in recent weeks but also struggled Tuesday, shooting 6 of 16 from the field and 1 of 7 from three.

Ben Simmons returned to the lineup after missing Sunday's loss to the Thunder with back soreness. The big man recorded his first triple-double as a Net, posting 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to go along with four steals and two blocks. Simmons played a noticeably more aggressive brand of basketball early, attempting six shots in the first quarter after taking just three the entire game in his last appearance.

While Simmons made a significant impact when on the floor, he once again found himself in foul trouble. The first-year Net picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, forcing him out of the game as Brooklyn would muster just 17 points in the period and allow San Antonio to take control. As has been the case this season, Simmons' aggressiveness would fade down the stretch as he did not attempt a shot in the final seven and a half minutes. The three-time All-Star is averaging 1.1 points on just 0.7 attempts per game in fourth quarters this season.

Simmons, along with the rest of the team, struggled to take care of the ball as the Aussie accounted for seven of the Nets' 21 turnovers. That carelessness allowed San Antonio to attempt nine more shots than Brooklyn on the night.

“Hopefully guys are starting to understand that the discipline along the way has to be there,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said of his team's sloppiness. “You won't be able to recover from stretches like that.”

The Nets' bench kept them in the game for stretches during the second and fourth quarters, posting 52 points for the night. T.J. Warren (19), Cam Thomas (15) and Edmond Sumner (13) combined for 47 points on 17 of 21 shooting.

However, Brooklyn's offense sputtered down the stretch as the team attempted to mount a comeback with Irving watching from the bench.

While Irving struggled in his last two performances without Durant, the guard has been among the top closers in the NBA this season, ranking third in fourth-quarter scoring at 8.4 points per game. Vaughn called Irving day-to-day after the surprise absence.

“He just reported a little tightness. So essentially just day-to-day. We’ll get some treatment, check on it [Wednesday] and hopefully this is short term,” the head coach said via Brian Lewis. “Yeah, hope so. That’s definitely the hope, that after a day, get some treatment, hopefully be ready to go against Phoenix.”

The loss marks the first time the Nets have dropped three straight games since the second week of the season. Brooklyn will look to prevent an extended losing streak as they hope to get Irving back for a matchup in Phoenix Thursday.