At least Westbrook had company in the locker room. Starting center Robin Lopez was tossed in the third quarter, having earned his second technical foul after arguing with officials — from the bench. Referee Mark Ayotte said Lopez was ejected for using repeated profanity after Bradley Beal was issued a delay-of-game warning.
It was a frustrating night for Washington (3-12), which dropped its fourth straight game after resuming its season Sunday following a coronavirus pause of nearly two weeks.
“Still pissed off; that’s not changing,” Beal said, describing the team’s mentality during a video conference call afterward. “I feel like even if we won, we’d be pissed off. . . . We have to dig ourselves out of this hole and be ready to go come Sunday. It doesn’t get any easier; it doesn’t get any easier. They added two games to our schedule on our road trip.”
Before the game, Coach Scott Brooks spoke of a “giddy” locker room after forwards Rui Hachimura and Davis Bertans and center Moritz Wagner rejoined the team after more than two weeks in the NBA’s coronavirus protocol. Brooks cautioned the trio would need time to acclimate, but he was optimistic that help had finally arrived.
But in their first game since Jan. 11, the trio’s presence made no difference as Washington turned in its worst loss of the week. The Wizards’ offense was putrid in general, and Hachimura and Bertans were understandably rusty.
Hachimura, back in his starting spot, shot 3 for 9 for nine points in 24 minutes. Bertans, who had just begun to get his rhythm back before the pause, went a disheartening 0 for 7 (including 0 for 6 from behind the arc) for one point in 25 minutes off the bench.
“I had a feeling that this could possibly happen tonight because of all the guys coming back, coming back from a road trip,” Brooks said of his team’s offensive woes. “We were just out of sync.”
It wasn’t just the late joiners who struggled. Washington’s offense took the night off except for Westbrook, who had perhaps his strongest game of the season before he was ejected. The starting point guard, who has been working his way back to full strength after injuring his left quad in December, was able to accelerate seemingly with more ease and get to the rim more effectively than he has in some time.
Westbrook tied Beal with a season-high 26 points on 8-for-18 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists in the 27 minutes he was on the court.
“I mean, honestly, it’s more on me,” Westbrook said of his ejection, which came on his third technical this week after earning one for jawing with John Wall in Houston on Tuesday. “I cannot allow myself to stoop down to just anybody’s level. That’s not my character, who I am, so I’ve got to get better regardless of the trash talking, what things are said. . . . I don’t agree with the second tech, but that’s neither here nor there.”
Westbrook’s strong performance did nothing to get his teammates going, including Beal.
Rondo and Cam Reddish wrapped up Beal so tightly on defense early on that the Wizards guard never got going. He finished with 26 points on 10-for-26 shooting, going 0 for 8 from three. Washington shot just 36.5 percent and had six technical fouls in all.
“I told the guys, I gave them nothing tonight. I’ve got to be a lot better,” Beal said. “. . . I think sometimes we get too caught up in, ‘Okay, let’s try to get B the ball.’ We make it difficult at times. Just play basketball.”
Trae Young led Atlanta (10-9) with 41 points. Rondo was ejected after drawing his second technical foul with about five minutes left.
The Wizards are slated to get more reinforcements when they host Brooklyn on Sunday night. Starting wing Deni Avdija, backup point guard Ish Smith and reserve guard Troy Brown Jr. watched from the sideline Friday, but Brooks said he expects them to be back in action against the Nets.
Beal, Westbrook and Brooks reiterated their confidence in the team’s ability to turn its season around. All three mentioned the challenge of reintegrating players who haven’t been active in weeks and the effect the pause had on their play, and all three said they believe in Washington’s roster.
“Like Brad has said, we’re frustrated,” Brooks said. “We’re not giving up. We’re not going to give up. We’re definitely not giving up. We’re going to keep fighting, and we’re going to turn it around. And when we do turn it around, it’s going to be a great feeling.”