Spurs Beat Wizards Behind Malaki Branham's Redeeming Performance

Malaki Branham led the San Antonio Spurs to victory against the Washington Wizards at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 12, 2023

Spurs Beat Wizards Behind Malaki Branham's Redeeming Performance /

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San Antonio Spurs

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.

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Published Jul 12, 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.