SAN ANTONIO – Malaki Branham scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half to lead the Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs to a 96-85 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, their third game of the NBA 2K24 Summer League.
The Spurs shot just 41 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three as they managed to take a 20-19 lead after the first quarter. The teams were tied at 46 at the half.
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Branham led all scorers in the game and was helped by three other Spurs in double figures. Forward Dominick Barlow had 20 points and seven rebounds, Julian Champagnie added 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Blake Wesley had 14 points in the win.
The game saw 13 ties and 14 lead changes before the Spurs finally took command. Xavier Cooks had 16 points and 10 assists, Ryan Rollins had 13 points, and Johnny Davis added 12 points for the Wizards.
The Spurs’ second round draft pick, Sidy Cissoko, got the start, but was 0-5 shooting. He did add seven rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.
Top draft pick Victor Wembanyama did not play in the game, as the Spurs announced Monday that they have shut him down for the remainder of the summer league. The Spurs say he needs a chance to rest and reset, before training camp in early October and then the 82-game regular season.
The Spurs will next play the Detroit Pistons on Friday, July 14 for their fourth game of the NBA 2K24 Summer League. Tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.