Malaki Branham, Julian Champagnie Lead Spurs to Win over Lakers in California Classic Finale

The Los Angeles Lakers fell victim to the San Antonio Spurs in Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 5, 2023

Malaki Branham, Julian Champagnie Lead Spurs to Win over Lakers in California Classic Finale /

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are leaving Sacramento with a perfect 2-0 record after beating the Los Angeles Lakers 109-99 at Golden 1 Center.

The Spurs and Lakers played a tight game in the first half, with San Antonio leading by five points at halftime, but San Antonio ran away with things in the third quarter to take a double-digit lead in the final frame.

From there, the Spurs cruised to their second victory in as many games in the California Classic.

San Antonio was led by Malaki Branham, the No. 20 overall pick in last year's draft. After sitting out of Monday's game, Branham made his presence felt, scoring a game-high 32 points in the win. Julian Champagnie also piggybacked off his successful showing on Monday with 28 points. Another second-year pro, Blake Wesley, chipped in with another all-around game at the point guard position, scoring 18 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists.

For the Lakers, Max Christie led all Los Angeles scorers with 25, while No. 17 pick Jalen Hood-Schifino added 20.

San Antonio looks sharp in its first two games, but the main event in Las Vegas is still ahead of the team.

No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama is expected to make his debut when the Spurs take the floor Friday night in Las Vegas against No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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Published Jul 5, 2023

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.