<\/p>\n
It was a strange night for Ben Simmons in the Nets\u2019 season opener.<\/p>\n
He was healthy. Spry. Effective.<\/p>\n
And in the end, benched when it mattered most.<\/p>\n
Simmons had 10 rebounds, a game-high nine assists and a block. But he logged just 1:53 in the fourth quarter, fellow starting guard Spencer Dinwiddie just 1:21.<\/p>\n
Watch an average of 9 NBA Regular Season games per week LIVE on ESPN, available via Kayo. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly<\/a> ><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n The Nets blew a late lead and lost 114-113 to Cleveland, coach Jacque Vaughn citing a need to be more physical and execute better.<\/p>\n \u201cIts not easy to win in the NBA. There\u2019s not a guarantee of winning every night so you got to earn it,\u201d Simmons said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had too many turnovers. I think it just came down to details of the game. Just small plays that we needed that ended up being a huge plays for us. Stops, rebounds and buckets.\u201d<\/p>\n Simmons\u2019 health issues are well-documented, a bad back requiring surgery and limiting him to just 42 games the past two seasons.<\/p>\n KP cooks New York on return! | 01:03<\/p>\n Asked if he was on a minutes limit Wednesday, he said he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Asked if he was pulled due to game flow, he replied \u201cYou gotta ask coach. I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Backup point guard Dennis Smith Jr. played much of the fourth in place of Simmons and Dinwiddie. He had 10 points and four rebounds in 15:50 after winning a fitness race to come back from a sprained ankle.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall he was a part of that stretch that really got us back in the game,\u201d Vaughn said. \u201cIt was the physicality which he played with that kind of permeated through the group.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he has that ability to do that. So looking forward to him getting to 100 per cent, playing minutes for us, being disruptive for us, but I think you felt him when he was out there on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n EVERY highlight from Wenbenyama’s debut | 01:14<\/p>\n Nic Claxton (seven points, seven boards, game-worst minus-12) appeared to be labouring near the end of the game, and had tape on his knee.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just a part of us trying to play hard and physical. And I do want to build our guys up where eventually, at the end of the season, maybe they have the ability to play extremely hard and 30-plus minutes. That is the goal,\u201d Vaughn said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe beginning of the year, just metric-wise, the first 10 games of the year is the highest acceleration and pace that there is throughout the course of the year. So I knew that was going to feel that way once we started the game. I\u2019ll always keep an eye on Nic what his stretches look like. I want him fresh to be able to defend for us and run the floor for us. And so sometimes he\u2019ll have an eight-minute stretch, sometimes those stretches are gonna be four minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n The Nets play in Dallas on Friday, their first meeting vs. Kyrie Irving since the star forced a trade in February.<\/p>\n