Nets’ Cam Johnson cleared to return, Ben Simmons ruled out vs. Celtics

Nets forward Cam Johnson was officially cleared to return from a calf strain before Friday’s game in Boston — but point guard Ben Simmons was again ruled out with hip soreness.

Johnson missed the previous seven games after suffering a left leg injury in the Oct. 25 season opener. The sharpshooting forward averaged 16.6 points per game with Brooklyn last season after arriving in the midseason trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix.

Simmons, meanwhile, is still nursing a left hip injury he suffered in Monday’s loss to Milwaukee. The tempo-pushing playmaker also missed Wednesday’s win against the Clippers.

Johnson’s return gives a boost to a Brooklyn lineup that remains without starting center Nic Claxton, who hasn’t played since the season opener with a left ankle sprain, and leading scorer Cam Thomas, who will miss at least two weeks with a left ankle sprain he sustained Wednesday.