SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs picked up a road loss versus the Phoenix Suns, 115-94.
Malaki Branham had 21 points and three rebounds while Tre Jones added 20 points and three rebounds. Julian Champagnie finished with 10 points and six rebounds while Keita Bates-Diop had 13 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in the loss.
Branham also recorded his sixth consecutive 10-plus point night of the season, matching his season-long streak.
San Antonio was without Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Romeo Langford, Zach Collins, and Keldon Johnson due to injuries. Doug McDermott exited the game in the first half with an ankle injury. Dominick Barlow and Devonte Graham also exited the game with injuries.
The Spurs are now 20-59 on the season, and will next face the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night for a pair of games in Austin, Texas.
Here's a sample of what the teams said after the game.
SPURS
Gregg Popovich
"It's fun coaching them [Spurs]. Obviously, it was going to be a tough night for them but their competitiveness was great. They got better after the first quarter. I think we were intimidated. Played very competitively, and executed pretty damn well against a very good basketball team. I was happy for them. I thought they did a good job."
Jones
“Just trying to be competitive. Play our hardest and try to do all of the little things. Try to do things the right way and let the rest take care of itself. Obviously, they [Suns] are super talented," Jones said. "After that first quarter, we played them pretty much even the rest of the way. They came out hot and we came out slow. We were able to get on a few runs there. Got it close but just didn’t have enough.”
SUNS
Monty Williams
Devin Booker
"That is my job as one of the leaders of the team, to make sure the new guys are on the same page. Even the second unit to keep the team afloat or push the lead. That has always been a goal for the next group in. We have had good spots and had bad spots, we have something to learn from," Booker said.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5