Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, who had missed the past four games, was in the starting lineup for Wednesday's 71-64 win over the Washington Mystics.
She finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 minutes.
Bird has been battling knee issues this season after missing all of the 2019 season because of knee surgery. Bird previously was out for five games this season; entering Wednesday, she had played in just seven of the Storm's 16 contests and was averaging 10.1 points and 4.6 assists.
"I felt good out there. I think when you aren't on the basketball court for however long it was, a week or so, you start to get out of rhythm a little bit," Bird said. "You wonder what your cardio is going to be like, but I think for a first game, it felt really good.
"I was obviously more concerned with how my knee felt, so to get through a game and not notice anything or feel anything is a great sign."
Seattle is in first place in the league at 14-3.
"I think mentally more than anything, just to get a feel for the game, a feel for my teammates and all of us playing together. That was kind of the ideal plan," Bird said. This day was what we circled ... . Obviously with a bone bruise, you never know, but we tried to map it out.
"It was in order to get a couple of games under my belt heading into the playoffs. Luckily, everything with the knee was just getting better and better each day, so it all worked out. I'm happy to get the kinks out now so I can be ready for the playoffs."