Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News reports:
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Luke Walton’s long wait to play ended Tuesday night.
He peeled off his sweats and entered the Lakers’ game against the San Antonio Spurs with 5.1 seconds left in the first half, his first appearance in two months.
OK, so it wasn’t exactly a significant one. He didn’t handle the ball as the Lakers misfired on a last-second play before halftime. But it marked his return to action after an extended absence because of a back injury.
Walton also played 5 minutes, 55 seconds in the fourth quarter, scoring four points on 2-for-4 shooting in the Lakers’ 105-85 defeat.
With Pau Gasol sidelined for a fifth consecutive game because of a strained left hamstring and backup small forward Adam Morrison suffering from an illness, Lakers coach Phil Jackson turned to Walton for help up front.
