Branham closed with 21 points (7-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-7 FT), two rebounds, two assists and one steal across 27 minutes during Wednesday's 128-117 loss to the Jazz.
Branham led the way a shorthanded Spurs squad in the scoring column, with his 21 points representing his best scoring output since Feb. 23. He knocked down seven field goals for the third straight contest, but he's struggling to produce on a consistent basis in the peripheral categories. The steal he recorded Wednesday was his first in six games, and he hasn't put up more than three assists since March 2.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Will be available Sunday
Rotowire
Branham (back) is available for Sunday's game against the Celtics, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Branham has been upgraded from questionable to available and will presumably garner an increased role with the Spurs still banged up. The rookie has started five of the last six contests, posting 11.5 point and 4.7 rebounds in 29.2 minutes during that stretch.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Questionable Sunday
Rotowire
Branham is questionable for Sunday's game against Boston with lower back tightness, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Branham is at risk of missing his third game of the calendar year with a back injury. With Keldon Johnson (foot) and Romeo Langford (thigh) also questionable, Blake Wesley and Devonte' Graham could be thrust into larger roles.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Gets starting nod
Rotowire
Branham is in the starting five for Friday's game versus the Grizzlies.
Branham will replace Tre Jones in the starting lineup Friday. Branham is averaging 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26.5 minutes across his previous 19 starts this season.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Scores 20 points off bench
Rotowire
Branham chipped in 20 points (8-12 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and two assists across 29 minutes during Wednesday's 137-128 overtime loss to the Mavericks.
Branham looked good in his return to action after missing Tuesday's game with a shoulder injury. The rookie posted his seventh 20-point game of the season, three of those occurring as a reserve. Branham is averaging 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game since the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Good to go Wednesday
Rotowire
Branham (shoulder) will play in Wednesday's game against the Mavericks, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Branham is available for the closing leg of the Spurs' back-to-back set Wednesday after missing Tuesday's contest with a right shoulder issue. He should be expected to take on a larger role Wednesday with Devin Vassell (knee) sidelined. In 31 games with Vassell inactive, Branham has averaged 10.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 24.6 minutes.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Questionable Wednesday
Rotowire
Branham (shoulder) is questionable for Wednesday's game against Dallas, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports.
Branham sat out Tuesday's win over Orlando, and it's not yet clear whether he'll be available for the second half of the back-to-back set. He's been held below 10 points in four of his last five appearances, averaging 5.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game during that time.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Out Tuesday
Rotowire
Branham (shoulder) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Magic, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Branham suffered a right shoulder impingement Saturday, and with San Antonio playing for Ping Pong balls, the rookie might take his time coming back from this one. He should be considered questionable at best for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks, so he's a risky guy to deploy in weekly settings. With Tre Jones (illness) and Romeo Langford (rest) set to join Branham on the sidelines Tuesday, Devonte' Graham will be getting all the run he can handle.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Won't return against Oklahoma City
Rotowire
Branham has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against Oklahoma City due to a shoulder injury, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Branham briefly returned to Sunday's game after departing with a shoulder issue, but he was ruled out for the remainder of the matchup during the second quarter. He logged zero points (0-3 FG, 0-3 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist in six minutes prior to his departure, and it's unclear whether he'll be available Tuesday against Orlando.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Available to play Sunday
Rotowire
Branham (back) is not listed in the injury report for Sunday's game against the Rockets and is expected to start, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Branham missed Saturday's loss against the Rockets but should be fine to play Sunday in the second leg of the Spurs' current back-to-back. Branham should be in the starting lineup, a role he's had in his last 11 appearances. He's averaging 15.5 points per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field in that span.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Out Saturday
Rotowire
Branham (back) is out for Saturday's matchup against the Rockets.
Branham will be missing his first game since Dec. 12, and the Spurs are quite shorthanded with Keldon Johnson (foot), Devin Vassell (knee) and Doug McDermott (thumb) shelved as well. More minutes could be in store for Devonte' Graham, Blake Wesley and Keita Bates-Diop.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Available to play Thursday
Rotowire
Branham (hip) will be available for Thursday's contest versus the Pacers, Jeff Garcia of KENS 5 San Antonio reports.
Branham nabbed a questionable tag leading up to the contest after departing early Tuesday, but it appears the issue was relatively minor and won't cost him additional action. However, Branham will now have an additional contender for minutes in Devin Vassell, who figures to eventually retake a spot in the starting five. Even if that doesn't occur Thursday, Branham will presumably cede some minutes.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Picks up questionable tag Thursday
Rotowire
Branham (hip) sports a questionable tag on the injury report ahead of Thursday's game versus the Pistons.
Branham departed Tuesday's game versus the Jazz prematurely due to a hip injury and could not rejoin the action after logging 21 minutes. His status for Thursday remains up in the air, but the team should provide further clarification ahead of the opening tipoff.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Out for remainder of game
Rotowire
Branham won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Jazz due to a hip injury, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Branham recorded four points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 21 minutes before exiting Tuesday's game. Devonte' Graham and Blake Wesley are candidates to see extended minutes in his absence. Branham's status for Thursday's matchup with Indiana is uncertain.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Scores team-high 23 points
Rotowire
Branham provided 23 points (9-17 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes during Thursday's 142-116 loss to the Mavericks.
The Spurs were without Tre Jones (foot), Devin Vassell (knee) and Romeo Langford (thigh) again, so Branham drew an eighth straight start and led the team in scoring. During his recent string of starts, the rookie guard is averaging 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals-plus-blocks in 33.0 minutes per game. As long as the aforementioned trio remains sidelined, Branham figures to have a prominent role in San Antonio's offense, and he may have proven himself enough to remain a critical rotation piece even when those players return to full strength.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Solid in sixth straight start
Rotowire
Branham registered 18 points (8-11 FG, 2-3 3Pt), two assists, two steals and one rebound across 29 minutes during Monday's 117-109 loss to the Cavaliers.
The teenage rookie continues to hold his own in a starting role for the rebuilding Spurs. Branham has started six straight games and scored in double digits in five of them, averaging 16.7 points, 4.0 boards, 2.5 assists and 2.2 threes over that stretch. He could head to the bench after the All-Star break if the likes of Romeo Langford (thigh) are healthy, but the team has nothing to lose by giving Branham all the responsibility he can handle over the final weeks of the season.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Struggles from field Saturday
Rotowire
Branham supplied 10 points (4-15 FG, 2-8 3Pt), six rebounds and one assist across 28 minutes during Saturday's 125-106 loss to Atlanta.
Branham has been turning heads with his play of late, but as often happens with rookies, he's also going to deliver subpar performances occasionally. This was a woeful outing for the former Ohio State product, but he's been playing well as a starter in recent weeks, scoring at least 15 points in three of his last five appearances with the first unit. He's averaging 17.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists across six February appearances.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Goes for career-high 27 points
Rotowire
Branham racked up 27 points (8-17 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 7-10 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 43 minutes during Friday's 138-131 double-overtime loss to the Pistons.
Branham ended with a career-high 27 points in the loss, scoring at least 20 points for the third time in his past five games. However, despite the uptick in offensive production, Branham remains outside the top 140 over the past two weeks, highlighting that he offers very little outside of scoring. The Spurs are clearly looking to the future, meaning Branham is likely to have a sizeable role ROS. With that said, there are a number of key pieces yet to return, so managers may want to temper their expectations moving forward.
... See More... See Less
Spurs' Malaki Branham: Decent as starter in loss
Rotowire
Branham ended with 15 points (6-18 FG, 3-8 3Pt), five rebounds and four assists across 32 minutes during Monday's 128-104 loss to Chicago.
Jones has been one of the few bright spots in what has been a woeful season for the Spurs, and he has scored at least 15 points in three games in a row. The rookie out of Ohio State started the last two contests due to the absence of Tre Jones (foot), and there's a chance he might remain in the lineup when San Antonio takes on Toronto on Wednesday.
Branham ended Friday's 137-125 loss to Philadelphia with 26 points (11-16 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, three assists and one steal across 35 minutes.
The 26 points were a new career high for the rookie. The 20th overall pick made his sixth career start as the Spurs were without Tre Jones (foot) and Jeremy Sochan (back). Branham was coming off a 22-point game Wednesday with five assists and three triples, so he's making a strong case for coach Gregg Popovich to keep looking his way. If the Spurs are sellers at the trade deadline, Branham is one of a number of Spurs who could benefit.
