Branham (concussion) is out for Sunday's game against the Pistons, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Barlow landed in the concussion protocol Friday, and his availability for the season finale was always considered a long shot, especially considering the Spurs have nothing to play for Sunday. Branham logged 75 appearances, including 29 starts, for the Spurs this season, though he didn't experience a sizable uptick in the statistical department. He averaged 9.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.4 steals across 21.3 minutes per contest.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Lands in concussion protocol
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Branham has been ruled out for Friday's game against Denver and is unlikely to play Sunday versus Detroit, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Branham was recently dealing with a minor hip injury, but it appears he suffered a concussion during Wednesday's loss to the Thunder. He played just 20 minutes during that contest and snapped a streak of seven straight double-digit scoring performances. During that stretch, Branham started five of his seven appearances and averaged 15.6 points on 48.8 percent shooting in 30.4 minutes per game.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Questionable for Wednesday
Rotowire
Branham is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Thunder due to a right hip contusion.
Branham has started in five consecutive matchups, averaging 16.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 34.8 minutes per game. He hasn't missed a game since late January, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to suit up Wednesday due to his hip issue.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Pops for 22 against Philadelphia
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Branham supplied 22 points (8-15 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, one assist and one block over 44 minutes during Sunday's 133-126 double-overtime loss to the 76ers.
Making his fourth straight start in place of Devin Vassell (foot), Branham topped 20 points for the second time in that stretch, although he needed to play a career-high 44 minutes to do it. The second-year guard has taken on a larger role during this latest stint in the starting five, averaging 18.0 points, 3.3 threes, 2.5 boards and 2.0 assists in 36.5 minutes per game. Since Vassell is done for the year, Branham could maintain that level of production over the final week of the regular season.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Enters starting lineup
Rotowire
Branham will start during Sunday's game against the Warriors.
Branham will return to the starting lineup for the first time since Mar. 9 due to Devin Vassell (foot) and Jeremy Sochan (ankle) being sidelined. In his last five starts, Branham has averaged 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23.8 minutes per game.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Contributes 10 points off bench
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Branham supplied 10 points (3-4 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), two rebounds and two assists over 19 minutes during Friday's 130-126 overtime victory over New York.
Branham came into the contest averaging just 6.0 points on 33.8 percent shooting over his previous nine games, but he stepped up to make an impact off the bench Friday despite logging less than 20 minutes. The second-year guard was a starter earlier in the campaign but has come off the bench in 25 of his past 27 contests, with his production unsurprisingly dropping as a result. Branham can get hot from time to time but is far off the radar in all but the deepest of fantasy formats.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Returns to bench Monday
Rotowire
Branham will come off the bench due to Devin Vassell re-entering the starting lineup for Monday's game against Golden State,
Branham has scored at least 20 points in three straight games, with two performances coming off the bench. San Antonio will be at full strength with the exception of Cedi Osman (ankle), so Branham should reprise a 20-30 minute role Monday.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Drops 20 points in spot start
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Branham totaled 20 points (7-15 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes during Saturday's 126-113 victory over the Warriors.
Branham moved into the starting lineup Saturday, replacing Devin Vassell, who was a late scratch due to an apparent hip issue. That makes three games in a row of at least 20 points, putting Branham firmly on the standard-league radar. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Spurs leaning more into their second and third units moving forward, meaning Branham could continue to be a solid source of points and threes.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Starting against Warriors
Rotowire
Branham will start Saturday's game against the Warriors, ESPN's Andrew Lopez reports.
Branham is likely to see significant minutes Saturday, as Devin Vassell (hip) was a late scratch and joins Victor Wembanyama (ankle) on the shelf. In addition to Branham, it's likely that Blake Wesley steps into a larger role in the offense.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Pops for season-high 20 off bench
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Branham closed Tuesday's 114-101 loss to the Rockets with 20 points (8-14 FG, 4-7 3Pt), one rebound and two assists over 26 minutes off the bench.
Despite shifting back to a bench role with Julian Champagnie (ankle) returning to action, the second-year guard posted his best scoring total of the season while tying his season high in made three-pointers. Branham, a first-round pick in 2022, appears to be taking a step forward in his development -- over the last nine games, he's averaging 13.4 points, 2.1 boards, 2.1 assists and 2.1 threes in 22.6 minutes a contest.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Moves back to bench
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Branham isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Branham will be replaced by Julian Champagnie in the starting five Tuesday. Branham is averaging 9.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.3 minutes across his last 10 appearances coming off the bench.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Produces in starting role Sunday
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Branham registered 18 points (7-13 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, six assists and one steal over 31 minutes during Sunday's 117-105 win over Indiana.
With Julian Champagnie (ankle) sidelined, Branham started for the first time since Jan. 2, and while the move was deserved considering his recent numbers off the bench, he lived up to the expectations and posted a solid stat line on both ends of the court. It remains to be seen if Branham will remain a starter on a long-term basis, but he made a solid case to keep his name in the first unit when the Spurs take on the Rockets on Tuesday. Branham is averaging 12.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game over his last eight appearances.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Set to start Sunday
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Branham will start Sunday's contest against Indiana while Julian Champagnie (ankle) is inactive, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Branham starting over Cedi Osman and Keldon Johnson is a notable but unsurprising choice. Branham has logged 21 starts this season and is averaging 10.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 48.6 percent shooting across 20 healthy games with the first unit. Meanwhile, Johnson has returned to a 30-minute workload of late, but he will continue attempting to bring offensive punch off the bench.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Nails three triples in loss
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Branham notched 17 points (6-14 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes during Friday's 123-118 loss to the Lakers.
Branham has now scored double-digit points in three of his last four outings. Since the beginning of February, Branham has shot 38.7 percent on 3.4 three-point attempts per contest across nine games. Branham seems to have settled into his role as one of San Antonio's primary backups in the backcourt.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Joins party
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Branham totaled 10 points (4-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT) and three assists in 21 minutes during Monday's 122-99 win over the Raptors.
Branham joined the scoring fun in a game where San Antonio led from start to finish. Monday marked his first game with at least 10 points since Jan. 24th, and even then, he was inefficient in doing so, dropping his season-long efficiency to 41.9 percent from the field.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Suiting up Sunday
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Branham (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against Cleveland.
Braham will return from a one-game absence due to a right ankle sprain. The 20-year-old will return in a bench role, however, with Tre Jones remaining in the starting lineup for the second consecutive contest. Branham has averaged 7.1 points, 2.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 18.5 minutes across 12 appearances off the bench this season
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Unlikely to play Thursday
Rotowire
Branham (ankle) is doubtful for Thursday's game versus the Bucks, independent NBA writer Matthew Tynan reports.
Branham will likely miss Thursday's contest after spraining his right ankle in Tuesday's game against Memphis. Tre Jones and Blake Wesley are candidates to receive extended minutes if Branham is ruled out.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Scores 11 points Friday
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Branham supplied 11 points (5-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt), six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 29 minutes during Friday's 134-128 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Branham had a scoreless outing against the Jazz on Dec. 26, but he has scored in double digits in his other 10 appearances as a starter since he assumed the starting point guard duties over Tre Jones and Jeremy Sochan. Despite the starting role, Branham is not doing enough to be a major asset in fantasy, and he profiles best as a matchup-based streaming option in most formats.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Gets starting nod Friday
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Branham will start Friday's game against the Bulls, independent NBA writer Matthew Tynan reports.
The Spurs are switching up their starting unit again. Branham will be joined by Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama. Branham has averaged 8.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.6 minutes across eight appearances as a starter this season, but this is the first time San Antonio has rolled out this group in the opening unit.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Back to bench
Rotowire
Branham won't start Wednesday's game against Minnesota, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.
Devin Vassell appears to have moved past his minutes restriction, so he'll slide back into the starting lineup, sending Branham to the bench. As a reserve this season, Branham has averaged 7.7 points, 2.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game.
