NEW YORK — Ben Simmons’ back injury is a herniated disc, though Brooklyn Nets Coach Steve Nash still believes the guard can play this season.

Simmons had an epidural recently that Nash said he believed had relieved some of the pain in his back. Nash had revealed that step after it happened last week, but hadn’t disclosed the nature of Simmons’ injury until Monday, when he confirmed a report by The Athletic.

Nash had previously only said pain in Simmons’ back flared up sometime after the Nets acquired him from Philadelphia on Feb 10.

“I’m not sure when they recognized it was beyond like a regular back flareup and a herniated disc or whatnot,” Nash said before the Nets played the Utah Jazz.

He said the herniated disc is an injury Simmons had earlier in his career.

Simmons is still not even practicing but Nash hasn’t given up hope the former No. 1 pick can get on the court this season.

“Yeah, I don’t think it changes the outcome necessarily. We still have high hopes that he can come back,” Nash said. “He’s had moments during his rehab where he’s on the court doing some things and it looks like he’s about to turn a corner and then there’s a little setback. So I still feel optimistic that he can play for us.”

Time is running out, though. The Nets had only 10 games left after Monday, followed by perhaps one or two in the play-in tournament it appears they’ll have to get through to reach the playoffs. Nash said he doesn’t think there’s a point the Nets would feel was too late for Simmons to still make a difference, even after being inactive all season.

“I think if he’s able to get back to playing, I think we’d want to incorporate him at any point,” Nash said.

TRAIL BLAZERS: Damian Lillard has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Lillard had abdominal surgery on Jan. 13, and it was widely expected he would not return. The Blazers made it official on Monday.

The team said that Lillard has “progressed well through the reconditioning phase of his rehab protocol” and has reached performance benchmarks. He will continue the rehab process.

Lillard said he had been bothered by lower abdominal tendinopathy for several years, but it flared up during the Tokyo Olympics.

A six-time All-Star, Lillard averaged 24 points and 7.3 assists in 29 games this season for the Blazers.

MONDAY GAMES

LAKERS 131, CAVALIERS 120: LeBron James scored 38 points, notched another triple-double and sparked memories of his time in Cleveland, leading Los Angeles over the Cavaliers.

It was James’ only visit home this season – other than the All-Star Game last month – and the star from nearby Akron thrilled fans who warmly welcomed him back. James played 11 seasons in two stints with the Cavs, trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since he left in 2018.

James added 10 rebounds and 12 assists for his 105th career triple-double and sixth this season. He’s trying to keep the Lakers in the postseason picture in what to this point has been a disappointing season.

Russell Westbrook and D.J. Augustin added 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came in tied for ninth in the Western Conference.

Darius Garland scored 29 and added 16 assists for Cleveland, which came in leading Toronto by one game for the No. 6 spot in the East.

NETS 114, JAZZ 106: Kevin Durant had 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Brooklyn beat Utah for their its win in seven games.

Bruce Brown added 22 points for the Nets, who stayed in sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Nic Claxton, starting for ailing center Andre Drummond, made all five shots and scored 11 in the the Nets’ 38-point third quarter that broke open the game.

TRAIL BLAZERS 119, PISTONS 115: Brandon Williams scored 23 points and Ben McLemore added 21 as Portland ended a four-game losing streak with a win over Detroit.

Detroit, which trailed by 23 points in the third period, took a 106-105 lead on Luka Garza’s free throw with 5:02 to play before Portland responded with a 7-2 run. Cade Cunningham had two key turnovers down the stretch, and Brandon Williams’ layup put the Trail Blazers up 116-112 with 47.8 seconds to go.

The Pistons turned the ball over, and although Kris Dunn missed a 3-pointer, Justise Winslow got the rebound and Williams made it 118-112 with two free throws.

The teams combined for an NBA season-high 90 free throws.

HORNETS 106, PELICANS 103: LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier each scored 17 points and Charlotte came back to beat New Orleans for its fifth straight win.

Miles Bridges added 15 points and Mason Plumlee had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte.

76ERS 113, HEAT 106: Tyrese Maxey scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in a row during a crucial stretch, and short-handed Philadelphia – without stars Joel Embiid and James Harden – beat Eastern Conference-leading Miami.

Shake Milton had 20 points and Furkan Korkmaz added 18 for Philadelphia. Embiid sat out with back soreness and Harden with left hamstring tightness.

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 and Kyle Lowry 20 for Miami, which lost for just the fifth time in 20 games.

ROCKETS 115, WIZARDS 97: Christian Wood set career highs with eight 3-pointers and 39 points as Houston used a huge late run to rally for a win over visiting Washington.

The Rockets trailed by 23 in the first half but slowly trimmed the deficit before going on a 16-0 spurt over the last minute of the third quarter and the first four minutes of the fourth to take the lead.

BULLS 113, RAPTORS 99: DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine each scored 26 points and Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds as Chicago Bwon at home.

DeRozan shot 11 for 14 as the Bulls snapped a three-game losing streak and remained in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 22 points.

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