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Washington Wizards, Russell Westbrook fall in return from COVID-19 layoff

SAN ANTONIO -- The Washington Wizards struggled offensively and suffered some communication breakdowns defensively in crucial situations, but coach Scott Brooks could forgive those lapses.

After being unable to play for two weeks, Brooks and the Wizards were simply happy to be back on the court.

Patty Mills scored 21 points, Lonnie Walker IV added 16 and the San Antonio Spurs used their depth to beat Washington 121-101 on Sunday night in the Wizards' first game since Jan. 11.

It also was Russell Westbrook's return to the court in more than two weeks due to a left quadriceps injury. He finished with nine points, eight rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes.

"This whole season for us has been weird," Brooks said. "Definitely, I don't think I will ever go through anything like this again. It all happened after one game after another. We can't keep dwelling on it, we have to put it behind us. We got the first game in. I'm glad we did that."

The Wizards had their previous six games postponed because they did not have enough eligible players due to the league's COVID-19 protocols. Washington was playing for the first time since beating the visiting Phoenix Suns 128-107.

Brooks said the Wizards began practicing only within the past three days and had to use video monitors on the bench to show their offensive sets to recently signed players like Alex Len.

"I think all of our guys are going to have to get back in NBA rhythm," Brooks said. "It's been totally taken away from us."

The Wizards still had six players ineligible against the Spurs, including Rui Hachimura. Washington faded down the stretch as Brooks primarily used an eight-man rotation.

"It's not normal," said Bradley Beal, who led Washington with 31 points. "I just got done getting tested after the game, so it's not normal. We are doing a lot of things on the fly. It's just the next-man-up mentality."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.