The Spurs lost to the Sacramento Kings 119-109 on Wednesday night. Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 34 points. Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 22. The Spurs are 14 and 38 on the season and are back in action on Friday night against the 76ers.
SPURS POSTGAME QUOTES:
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On Malaki Branham…)
“He’s progressing really well for a young guy. He’s picking up a lot of things and probably the biggest thing is playing against all these NBA guys that he’s never played against before. He’s learning a lot and he’s playing more and more aggressive and doing well at both ends of the floor. His progress is great.”
(On moving forward after losing Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones…)
“We’ve just had a lot of bad luck that way this season, but they just keep on going. They fought all night long and you know [Sacramento] is a good team. I think they’re third in the West, something like that. We didn’t just play a bunch of rummies. So, they hung tough and did a lot of good things. They just need to keep their heads up and go from the positive and not worry about wins and losses. Wins are more fun, obviously, but we’re just trying to develop them and make them feel good about what the future is going to hold. And if you can win a little bit along the way, that certainly helps.”
(On keeping up with Sacramento’s pace despite injuries…)
“They do it every game. They stick with it, and they play hard every game. You know one out of every 10 or so we might lay an egg, but everybody else does the same thing. I’ve always been pleased with their effort and their stick-to-itiveness.”
Spurs Guard Malaki Branham
(On his performance tonight…)
“I wish we would have got the win, too. Just trying to keep building off of this. That’s the main goal.”
(On if being thrown into the fire raises his game…)
“Yeah, I do. Guarding De’Aaron Fox, he’s a tough guard. A quick guard, too. Running from him, but also defending him, too. So, like you said, just being thrown in the fire and just being ready to play and being ready to play every night. I feel like I’ve been doing a good job of that.”
Spurs Guard Josh Richardson
(On the Spurs inexperience affecting the fourth quarter…)
“Yeah, but we compete still. The guys, they don't give up. I mean, it’s hard to fault them for a lot, because they don’t really know a lot. So, that's where we try to kind of teach them a little bit. Hopefully they start to get a little better. They're competitive, so you can’t really knock them too much.”
(On what he sees from Malaki Branham…)
“The game is slowing down for him. Offensively, he’s talented. He’s done a good job playing the position this year, because I don’t really think or know if he was a point guard in college. But he’s kind of been thrust into that role. I think once the rest of the game starts to catch up to it, then it’s really going to be a good thing for him. Offensively he’s aggressive and you can see his confidence growing.”