Tag: Utah Jazz

Gregg Popovich shows love to Malaki Branham after Spurs win over Jazz

Aftre the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Gregg Popovich praised Malaki Branham.

The San Antonio Spurs won their second game in a row on Wednesday night, as they took down the Utah Jazz by a store of 118-111. Devin Vassell led the way with 31 points and Victor Wembanyama returned to the lineup, playing well against the Jazz, too. But for as great as Vassell looked, the Spurs won as a team.

Four of the five starters for the Spurs finished with 15 or more points, and the only one who didn’t, Tre Jones, dished out 10 assists in the game. In addition, Malaki Branham also added 17 points off the bench. He earned some serious praise from head coach Gregg Popovich after the win in Utah.

After the game, Popovich said that Branham’s scoring punch helped lift the Spurs up. (H/t Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs)

“We didn’t shoot as well in the second half, but we didn’t turn it over like we did in the first half,” Popovich said. “Malaki 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 finished the game with 17 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Sidy Cissoko shares appreciation for Spurs support at G League game

The San Antonio Spurs went to support their G League teammates on Tuesday night in Utah, and Sidy Cissoko appreciated it.

The San Antonio Spurs picked up a win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, defeating Gregg Popovich’s former assistant coach Will Hardy by a score of 118-111. Devin Vassell’s 31 points and Victor Wembanyama’s return to action after a one-game absence, they brought home their second straight victory.

But that’s not where their time in Utah began. While they could have stayed in and prepared for their game against the Jazz, they went out to Salt Lake City to support their teammates on Tuesday night. Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and Julian Champagnie went to watch the Austin Spurs take on the Salt Lake City Stars in a G League game.

After the game, rookie Sidy Cissoko spoke about how much he appreciated the support. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“I appreciate them showing us some love,” Cissoko said. “I love them. We are brothers. We had a tough game and we are trying to make the playoffs, so they did a great job to support us.”

Against the Stars, Cissoko put up 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting 9-of-21 from the field and 2-of-7 from distance.

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Devin Vassell says he works on crazy three from Spurs win over Jazz

Devin Vassell said that he works on the crazy three he hit in the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz.

The San Antonio Spurs took on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, picking up their second win in a row following a victory over the Phoenix Suns. They beat the Jazz by a score of 118-111, getting Victor Wembanyama back in the lineup after he missed their win over Phoenix. However, it was Devin Vassell who propelled San Antonio to victory.

Vassell had a monster night to the point where he was even hitting some wild shots throughout the course of the night. The craziest of which was a one-legged, fadeaway three in the corner with just seconds left in the shot clock at the end of the second quarter.

After the game, however, Vassell said that he works on that shot. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“I actually work on that a lot,” Vassell said. “It might sound cliché, but I work on a lot of crazy shots. That’s why when people say I shoot some crazy shots, it’s because I shoot and work on a lot of crazy shots. At least one finally went in.”

Vassell finished the game with 31 points, leading the charge for the Spurs.

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Devin Vassell wants to be ‘defensive anchor’ for Spurs

Devin Vassell said the he wants to be a “defensive anchor” for the San Antonio Spurs.

As the season goes on for the San Antonio Spurs, games will inevitably mean less and less. The Spurs have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so the only thing they are playing for now is internal improvement. That said, they have now won two games in a row and are feeling pretty good about themselves.

One area they should be focusing on for improvement purposes is the defensive end. Having Victor Wembanyama down low defending the rim gives them a serious advantage, but they’ve still been one of the worst defenses in the league so far this season, meaning there is plenty of room for improvement.

After the Spurs’ Wednesday night win over the Utah Jazz, Devin Vassell said that he wants to be a “defensive anchor” for the Spurs. (H/t Jonah Kubicek of Inside the Spurs)

“I’m just trying to be a leader out there on both ends of the floor,” Vassell said. “I talked about it earlier in the season where I just want to be that defensive anchor. I want to be somebody who is picking up and just being disruptive. Defensive end, I’ve been trying to anchor that and offensively coach puts me in a great position to get downhill. Get to my spots. Pick them apart.”

Vassell put up 31 points against the Jazz, but he was just as active on the defensive side of the ball.

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Gregg Popovich jokes about Devin Vassell after Spurs win over Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Gregg Popovich joked about Devin Vassell, who led the way with 31 points.

For the entire season, Victor Wembanyama has been the center of attention in regard to the San Antonio Spurs. There have been more eyes on San Antonio this year than since the Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili ruled the Spurs organization. And while Wembanyama is the reason for that, Devin Vassell has taken advantage.

The fourth-year wing has been having a very impressive season, and he’s been getting more credit for it since more people are tuning in. His latest great showing came against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, as the Spurs picked up a 118-111 win with him leading the way.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich joked about Vassell’s performance, noting that he was worried he may be too tired from having to guard Collin Sexton. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“He had to guard Sexton a lot, so I was afraid he might get too tired to shoot the damn thing,” Popovich said.

Luckily, Vassell stepped up to the plate.

“He pushed through and was a monster at both ends,” Popovich said.

Vassell finished the game with 31 points, four rebounds, six assists, and one steal while shooting 12-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line.

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Jazz’s Will Hardy has high praise for Gregg Popovich after Spurs win

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy showed love to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after the Spurs’ win in Utah.

The San Antonio Spurs traveled west on Wednesday night to take on the Utah Jazz in their first road game after an eight-game home stand at the Frost Bank Center (that also included some time in Austin). They walked out of the Delta Center with a 118-111 win over the Jazz, marking their second victory in a row after they picked up a win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night without Victor Wembanyama.

The game was particularly fun, considering it was against former Spurs assistant Will Hardy, who is in his second season as the head coach of the Jazz.

After the game, Hardy had some very high praise for Gregg Popovich. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“Pop is an animal,” Hardy said. “There are few people on this planet I would never doubt. He is one of them.”

Hardy spent six seasons in San Antonio coaching under Popovich.

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Victor Wembanyama says Taylor Hendricks’ dunk attempt was ‘bad choice’

Victor Wembanyama spoke about Taylor Hendricks’ decision to go for a dunk late in the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz.

The San Antonio Spurs picked up a 118-111 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. It marked their second victory in a row after they took down the Phoenix Suns without Victor Wembanyama on Monday night. Wembanyama returned to the lineup and, along with Devin Vassell’s 31 points, overwhelmed the Jazz.

Wembanyama took on fellow rookie Taylor Hendricks. With roughly seven seconds left in the game, Hendricks drove and rose for a dunk against both Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan. Sochan sent him packing, as both he and Wembanyama were there to clean things up, not allowing Hendricks to dunk the ball in the final moments of the contest.

After the game, Wembanyama questioned Hendricks’ decision to go for the slam. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“Regardless of the challenge of sometimes wanting to dunk on your opponent, it was a bad choice, I think,” Wembanyama said. “You got to be smart.”

Wembanyama finished the game with five blocks, while Hendricks scored eight points on 3-of-8 shooting.

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Devin Vassell credits Gregg Popovich for ‘Spurs basketball’ vs. Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Devin Vassell credited Gregg Popovich.

Following their huge, Victor Wembanyama-less win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs looked to keep the ball rolling on Wednesday. They succeeded in that goal, taking down the Utah Jazz with Wembanyama back in the lineup. They earned a 118-111 win over the Jazz in their first road game since March 9.

Devin Vassell led the way for the Spurs against the Jazz, as he managed to score 31 points. Meanwhile, Wembanyama put up 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five blocks. As for San Antonio as a team, they dished out a wild 40 assists on 40 made baskets.

After the game, Vassell credited head coach Gregg Popovich for their play, calling it “Spurs basketball.” (H/t ESPN)

“That’s Spurs basketball … and Pop preaches it all the time,” Vassell said Popovich. “We were knocking down shots today and everybody was sharing it.”

The victory marked the Spurs’ fifth win in the month of March.

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Victor Wembanyama praises Devin Vassell after Spurs win over Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Victor Wembanyama praised Devin Vassell.

Following the San Antonio Spurs’ blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, they bounced back with a win over that same Suns team on Monday. Fast forward to Wednesday, they won their second game in a row as Victor Wembanyama returned to the lineup after missing their win over Phoenix.

Wembanyama played well against the Jazz, but it wasn’t actually him to led the way. Instead, it was Devin Vassell who was the best player on the floor. Vassell finished the game with 31 points, four rebounds, and six assists while shooting 12-of-20 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line.

After the game, Wembanyama praised Vassell’s offensive game, noting how hard he makes it on opposing defenses. (H/t ESPN)

“He’s becoming a real problem for defenses,” Wembanyama said of Vassell. “It’s beautiful to see him evolve like this throughout the year.”

Vassell’s emergence as an elite offensive talent is huge for the Spurs.

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In aftermath of fight, NBA suspends Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. for Monday’s game vs. Portland

In the aftermath of Saturday’s physical altercation, the NBA suspended Utah’s Kris Dunn for two games and Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. for one.

The NBA suspended Utah Jazz guard Kris Dunn for two games and Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. for one, citing their roles in an on-court altercation during Saturday’s game in Houston.

Smith will miss Monday’s home game versus Portland. Veteran Jeff Green is his likely replacement in Houston’s starting lineup.

From the league’s announcement:

Dunn was suspended two games without pay for initiating an altercation and throwing a punch at Smith Jr., who was suspended one game for fighting with Dunn, it was announced by Joe Dumars, executive vice president and head of basketball operations (for the NBA).

The incident, for which both were assessed technical fouls and ejected, occurred with 11:55 remaining in the second quarter of the Rockets’ 147-119 win over Utah.

Dunn will begin to serve his suspension on Monday, when the Jazz host Dallas. Smith Jr. will serve his suspension that night when the Rockets host Portland.

Extended video of the exchange can be viewed below, along with postgame comments by Dunn (audio) on his perspective. Smith was not made available to reporters by the Rockets, though he did react with “Lol” on social media shortly after Sunday’s announcement.

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