San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich Praises Malaki Branham for Effort vs. Utah Jazz

Malaki Branham scored 17 points off the bench in the San Antonio Spurs win against the Utah Jazz.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 28, 2024

Mar 27, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham (22) goes to the / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

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The San Antonio Spurs are celebrating after a 118-111 win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

While Devin Vassell led all scorers with 31 points, fellow shooting guard Malaki Branham also made an impact on the offensive end by dropping 17 of his own in the win.

Mar 27, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham (22) goes to the / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

"We didn't shoot as well in the second half, but we didn't turn it over like we did in the first half," coach Gregg Popovich said postgame. "Malaki [Branham] came in and got three or four buckets. We needed to score. We're having a tough time, so he deserves a lot of credit for keeping us going offensively, and overall, the defense again was good."

Branham's 17 points were the most he's had since the team's win on Mar. 9 against the Golden State Warriors. He is averaging 8.7 points per game so far this season.

Branham is not the player who should be in charge of running the offense, but he is a solid secondary ball-handler with great court vision for a second-year player. His shooting averages are nothing to write home about, but if he can continue to create space in the midrange, get himself to the rim, and knock down the occasional three-ball, he will have a solid role for the Spurs going forward.

Branham and the Spurs are back in action tomorrow against the New York Knicks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

Published Mar 28, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.