How to watch Wizards' return to court vs. Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Wizards are set to return to the court in an actual NBA game Sunday night when they head to San Antonio. Finally!
Washington has missed its past six games as a result of their coronavirus outbreak. Now that they've added a couple of big men off the market, they finally have the requisite number of players in order to take the court again. And their return comes against a longtime nemesis in the San Antonio Spurs.
The Wizards have lost 20 consecutive road games to the Spurs, so it won't be easy to bounce back given all the players missing. Star guard Bradley Beal should be on the court, but Russell Westbrook is questionable and several other key players have already been ruled out from the game.
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It's also unclear how many minutes the Wizards' players will be able to play, considering the long layoff. Head coach Scott Brooks likely won't want to over-exert his stars in their first game back in weeks, though he may not have much of a choice considering the lack of available bodies on the bench.
Can Bradley Beal lead the Wizards to an upset over the Spurs almost singlehandedly? Here's how to watch.
WIZARDS vs. SPURS HOW TO WATCH
What: NBA regular-season game No. 12
Who: Washington Wizards at San Antonio Spurs
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
When: Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, at 8 p.m.
TV Channel: Wizards at Spurs will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington (NBC Sports Channel Finder)
Live Stream: You can live stream Wizards vs. Spurs on NBC Sports Washington's live stream page and on the NBC Sports App.
Radio: Wizards Radio Network, 1500 AM
WIZARDS vs SPURS TV SCHEDULE
7 p.m.: Wizards Pregame Live
8 p.m.: Wizards at Spurs LIVE
10:30 p.m.: Wizards Postgame Live
WIZARDS VS. SPURS WHAT TO WATCH
This one is pretty simple: can the Wizards finally win a game in San Antonio this century?
No, unfortunately that is not a typo. The Wizards have lost 20 straight road games against the Spurs, a streak that dates back until December 1999. They are now 10-38 all-time in San Antonio, though they've been close to snapping the streak on a number of occasions, including a 124-122 nail biter in the most recent matchup.
The Wizards are coming off a stretch of several missed games as a result of their coronavirus outbreak, and they will be severely undermanned thanks to the ongoing safety protocols. It won't be easy to snap their historic slump against the Spurs, though they'll certainly give it their best efforts come Sunday night.
WIZARDS vs SPURS PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Bradley Beal, SG, Wizards (34.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.0 apg): Beal can pretty much always be mentioned here, as he is one of the best pure scorers in the NBA and leads the Wizards (by far) with his nearly 35 points per contest. He will be especially relied upon in this matchup, considering how many Wizards have already been ruled out before Sunday.
DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF, Spurs (20.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 6.7 apg): The Spurs are much more balanced than the Wizards, with seven different players averaging at least 11.7 points per game and no one above DeRozan's 20.9. but that mark is far and away the highest on the team, and given his position it's likely he'll be matched up one on one with Beal for much of the night. Whichever star comes out on top will go a long way toward determining Sunday's victor.
