Nets’ Ben Simmons sits again due to leg soreness

It’s always something with Ben Simmons.

And it’s getting hard to keep track of the different reasons he’s unavailable for the Nets.

He missed the Nets’ 114-102 win over the Hawks on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center due to left leg soreness, the third straight game he has sat out.

Simmons did not play in the team’s loss to the Magic on Tuesday, though that was simply rest and injury maintenance after playing the night before in the team’s win over the Grizzlies as he is not yet cleared to play back-to-backs. Simmons was then removed from the injury report Wednesday and was expected to play in Thursday’s win over the Hawks.

But Simmons, despite not playing Tuesday and the Nets not practicing Wednesday, then appeared on the injury report with the leg soreness, missed Thursday’s game and missed Saturday’s clash with the same injury.

He has played in just 15 games this year.

Cam Thomas also missed Saturday’s game with a right ankle sprain, the third straight game he has missed, as well.

Both Simmons and Thomas are considered day-to-day.

“I just know they’re getting back healthy,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “Slowly but surely, they’re getting back on the court, so they’re just still day-to-day. We trust in our medical staff with all our faith that they’re doing the right things off the court to get better and doing their rehab.

“I know they’re constantly doing their rehab, trying to get better so they can be contributing to this team’s success going forward, so it’s just day-to-day now, but hopefully we’ll see them soon.”

The Nets signed Jacob Gilyard to a two-way contract, they announced Saturday. They had an available two-way deal to use after converting Jalen Wilson’s two-way contract to a three-year deal Friday.

Listed at 5-foot-8, Gilyard is notably the second-shortest player to appear in an NBA game this year, behind Markquis Nowell. Gilyard, 25, played in 37 games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 assists per game, but was cut last week.

In six games in the G-League this year, Gilyard, who played collegiately at Richmond, has averaged 13.5 points and 9.0 assists per game.

After hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers Saturday and 7 of 11 on Thursday, Cameron Johnson has hit 19 against the Hawks for the season. It marks the most 3-pointers any Nets player has made against one team in a single season.

“Ball movement, player movement, finding spots,” Johnson said of what’s opened up for him offensively the past two games. “We have capable guys. It’s something we’ve known all along that should be a strong suit for this team.”