COVID-19 tests postpone 6th straight game for Wizards

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The Washington Wizards have had their sixth consecutive game postponed for not having enough players available due to COVID-19, the NBA announced.

The league said Wednesday that the Wizards' game against the Milwaukee Bucks -- planned for Friday -- was postponed. The NBA also announced that 11 of 502 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since Jan. 13.

Anyone who tests positive or has been in close contact to an infected person must isolate or quarantine until they are cleared to return to the court.

The Wizards haven't played since Jan. 11.

Washington had previously announced that it would be without eight players for Friday's scheduled game against the Bucks.

The team said six of those players were out due to "health and safety protocols." All-Star guard Russell Westbrook was set to miss the game due to a left quad injury and Thomas Bryant was ruled out with a left ACL injury.

NBA teams must have at least eight players available for games this season. The league has postponed 17 games so far this season due to its COVID-19 protocol.

The Wizards returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time in nine days before the announcement was made to postpone the Bucks game.

"Once one guy goes down, you take all the precautions from there," Wizards guard Bradley Beal told reporters on Wednesday. "The last four or five teams we've played have had [COVID-19]. I guess it was a matter-of-time type of thing."

The next game on the Wizards schedule is against the San Antonio Spurs at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday in San Antonio.