Latest news with #Mamukelashvili
Forbes
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Sandro Mamukelashvili Is Proving His Talent, And We Should Take Note
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 25: Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks ... More during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on February 25, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The San Antonio Spurs may have lost both Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox for the rest of the season, but that doesn't mean they don't have weapons. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 34 in Wednesday's win over the New York Knicks, and did so in just 19 minutes, thus becoming the first-ever player to score that many points in under 20 played minutes. To those who have tracked Mamukelashvili's career, this isn't much of a surprise. The 6'11 big man is loaded with skills, and has generally been underutilized for much of his career. Not only is a he a good three-point shooter, evident by his 7-for-7 performance against the Knicks, and his near-44% accuracy for the year, but he's also a big, physical rebounder, an effective inside scorer (83.3 FG% near the rim), and he can pass on the move, which is saying something for a guy who's 250 pounds. Mamukelashvili has long had good chemistry with Wembanyama, but the Spurs have opted to primarily pair their franchise player with Jeremy Sochan, and Harrison Barnes in the front court. That makes some sense given that both are generally viewed more favorably in terms of experience and impact, but it does feel like a bit of a wasted opportunity to not explore the Mamukelashvili/Wembanyama pairing more. Mamukelashvili will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, just as he was last year. The big man actively wanted to return to San Antonio a season ago, so it'll be interesting if both he and the Spurs are keen on continuing the relationship. The low minutes total for Mamukelashvili - 430 this season, which follows 451 last year - will surely impact his potential earnings this summer, as teams will justifiably wish to see more before they commit to a significant pay day. As such, the remainder of this season becomes incredibly important to Mamukelashvili, if he wishes to cash in on a new, and bigger deal. However, minutes and opportunity should be the main priority, by far. If the Spurs are open to playing him more, then re-signing on a modest deal would be fine, as that could lead to increased compensation down the line. If, however, another situation proves more intriguing, in which the Georgian is promised a bigger role, that's what he should follow. Regardless of his future, one thing remains a constant. The skill set he offers, and the potential he sports, both deserve to be further explored. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili scores NBA record 34 points in 19 minutes, celebrates feat with Flavor Flav
Perhaps you entered Wednesday unfamiliar with any of the following things: The name Sandro Mamukelashvili; The fact that he is a basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs; or Either the broad confines of his skill-set or the finer points of his game. If that is true, don't beat yourself up about it too much. It appears the Knicks weren't very familiar with those things, either. A second-round pick out of Seton Hall back in 2021 who began his career in Milwaukee, the 6-foot-11 Mamukelashvili has spent most of his four pro seasons on the fringes of the rotation, offering spot minutes behind the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Victor Wembanyama. The loss of Wembanyama to a blood clot and reserve big man Charles Bassey's knee injury opened up some more opportunities for the 25-year-old, though, and on Wednesday, he made the most of them, turning in the game of his life against the visitors from New York: a career-high 34 points on 13-for-14 shooting, including a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range, to go with nine rebounds, three assists and a steal in a stunning 120-105 Spurs win. 'He's in the NBA for a reason,' Knicks forward Josh Hart said after the game. 'He's a good player.' [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] That avalanche of buckets all came in just 19 minutes and 26 seconds of floor time earned Mamukelashvili a piece of NBA history. It's the most points that any player has ever scored in fewer than 20 minutes, topping Jaylen Brown (33 in 19 minutes in 2021), Kevin Love (32 in 15 minutes in 2022) and Kevin Durant (30 in 19 minutes in 2014). He's also just the fourth NBA player ever to make 90% of his field goals, 100% of his 3-point attempts and 100% of his free throws in a game, joining Charles Barkley, Gary Payton and Tyrese Haliburton. Pretty decent company for a guy who's averaging 4.9 points per game for his career, and who entered Wednesday having never hit the 30-point mark in 176 career games. Perhaps it's not surprising that Mamukelashvili showed out in this particular contest, though. After all, he had a friend in the stands — someone special he wanted to impress. This entire Mamu-Flavor Flav sequence might just have saved the Spurs season 🩶 — WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) March 20, 2025 Yes, you're seeing what you think you're seeing: That is former Public Enemy rapper, multi-instrumentalist and all-around bon vivant Flava Flav rushing the court to celebrate with Mamukelashvili, serving as the hype man for Mamu like he was Chuck D back in 1998. If you're wondering how this came to be — and, I mean, how could you not be? — here's Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: Mamukelashvili met Flav at the Las Vegas Summer League as a rookie in 2021. The two hit it off and have been friends ever since. 'I FaceTime him sometimes,' Mamukelashvili said. When Flav said he was coming to San Antonio for his birthday this week, Mamukelashvili hooked him up with tickets behind the Knicks bench, then proceeded to put on a show. After losing control of the proceedings by giving up a 16-1 mid-first-quarter run to their hosts, New York had clawed back to within six points of the Spurs when Mamukelashvili checked in less than a minute into the second quarter … and promptly proceeded to black out. "I don't know what f***ing happened," Mamukelashvili said after the game, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. "I don't know what f***ing happened." Over the next eight minutes, he outscored the misfiring Knicks by himself, 13-9, punishing Tom Thibodeau's bigs inside and out to help propel San Antonio to a 24-point halftime lead. When opponents run pick-and-rolls with their centers setting the ball screen, New York prefers to have their own big men sink back toward the paint rather than aggressively stepping up to guard the 3-point line. This drop coverage helps ensure that the Knicks always have a bigger body back by the basket to aid with rim protection and rebounding — two non-negotiable principles of any Thibodeau defense. But it can leave New York susceptible to opposing centers who can step out and shoot the ball, and on Wednesday, while the Knicks employed Karl-Anthony Towns (who finished with a team-high 32 points and nine rebounds on 11-for-21 shooting), it was San Antonio whose stretch-5 consistently lit up the night, popping off of his picks with enough room and time to rain fire on a dead-legged Knicks team looking none too thrilled to be back on the road after a one-game home stop following a five-game West Coast swing. After New York finally got its offense untracked in the third quarter and got back within eight with 7:29 to go in regulation, it was Mamukelashvili who slammed the door, drilling a pair of triples and dishing a dime to a cutting Jeremy Sochan to keep San Antonio up by double-digits before putting the Knicks to bed with a dunk of his own and another bomb to push the lead back to 17. He'd finish with 21 points in the final frame, shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, before checking out to a rapturous ovation from the San Antonio faithful — a performance beyond his wildest dreams. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time," Mamukelashvili told reporters. "I just can't explain how I feel right now. I feel like I'm in a dream. I manifested and prayed for it. I just waited for this day. I really had an out of body experience for a little bit there. I was like, 'Is this really happening?'"
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili scores 34 in 19 minutes, celebrates with Flavor Flav
Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili scores 34 in 19 minutes, celebrates with Flavor Flav Show Caption Hide Caption Gordon Hayward understands fans criticizing current state of NBA play Gordon Hayward talks about the current state of the NBA and the increased amount of three-point attempts being taken across the league. Sports Seriously The San Antonio Spurs haven't had much to cheer about this season, with the loss of superstar Victor Wembanyama, sidelined for the rest of the season with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, and longtime coach Gregg Popovich sitting out the year while recovering from a mild stroke. But during Wednesday night's game against the New York Knicks, Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili made NBA history by scoring a career-high 34 points in just 19 minutes of play in the 120-105 victory. It's the first time a player has scored that many points while playing fewer than 20 minutes. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time," Mamukelashvili, who also had nine rebounds and three assists, said after the game. "I just can't explain how I feel right now. I feel like I'm in a dream. I manifested and prayed for it. I just waited for this day. I really had an out of body experience for a little bit there. I was like, 'Is this really happening?'" Mamukelashvili, a 26-year-old who played his college ball at Seton Hall, entered the game averaging less than nine minutes per game. He checked in with 11 minutes left in the second quarter, and finished with 13 points at halftime. Sandro Mamukelashvili is going OFF ‼️ A career-high 34 PTS on 13-14 shooting and 7-7 from three... in only 19 minutes played 🤯 — NBA (@NBA) March 20, 2025 Rapper Flavor Flav, in attendance, was so hyped for Mamukelashvili's performance, he ran onto the court to join him during his postgame television interview. This entire Mamu-Flavor Flav sequence is the best thing that's happened in the NBA all season 🩶 — WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) March 20, 2025 Mamukelashvili didn't play in the third quarter, but in the final 12 minutes, he couldn't be stopped, hitting all eight of his shots, including four from 3-point range, to finish with 21 points in the quarter. "I'm trying to get better. I'm trying to establish myself," Mamukelashvili said. "I'm trying to show everybody that I belong. I'll just keep taking strides towards that. I'm just so happy I have a support team behind me: my girl, my friends, my teammates, my family. Once it sinks in, you're kind of like. 'OK, I really worked for this and it's happening.' It was an unbelievable feeling." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
