Spurs Beat Wizards Behind Malaki Branham's Redeeming Performance
The San Antonio Spurs (2-1) are back in the win column at the Las Vegas Summer League with a 96-85 win against the Washington Wizards at Thomas & Mack Center.
Even though No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama returned to the bench, several Spurs with an opportunity to see playing time this season made an appearance ... and an impression.
Through three quarters, the game was very even on both sides. The Spurs held just a one-point lead going into the final 10 minutes of the game, but that's when San Antonio turned on the turbo button.
The Spurs outscored the Wizards 30-20 in the final frame to seal the victory.
The largest impact came from last year's No. 20 pick Malaki Branham, who scored a game-high 29 points on 12 of 20 shooting from the floor. It was a complete 180 from his performance in Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, where he shot 1 of 17 for six points.
Seeing Branham respond well after a loss is very encouraging towards his development as he aims to try and crack the rotation in his second NBA season.
The Spurs return to the floor for their fourth game on Friday against No. 5 overall pick Ausar Thompson and the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPN.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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