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.

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.