Spurs’ Mamukelashvili Makes NBA History In Career Night

Spurs big man Sandro Mamukelashvili put on a show in Wednesday’s victory over New York, setting an NBA record by scoring the most points in a game when playing fewer than 20 minutes, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.

In 19 minutes and 26 seconds of action, which came exclusively in the second and fourth quarters, Mamukelashvili scored a career-best 34 points while chipping in nine rebounds and three assists. His efficiency was absolutely remarkable — he was 13-of-14 from the floor, including 7-of-7 from three-point range, and made his only free throw.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” Mamukelashvili said. “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?’”

According to Wright, Mamukelashvili became just the fourth player in league history to convert at least 90% of his field goal attempts while making all of his threes and free throws, joining Tyrese Haliburton, Gary Payton and Charles Barkley.

While the 25-year-old forward/center had scored in double figures in each of the three games preceding Wednesday’s eruption, his season-high entering the game was 14 points. That’s partly due to opportunity, or lack thereof — he had only been averaging 8.9 minutes per contest (now 9.1).

“It would be ridiculous to say that was expected in 19 minutes and 26 seconds of opportunity,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s a really good shooter, and you’re just waiting for him to have one of those games. I think that probably exceeded some of the thought of having one of those games. But he comes to work every day. He’s the most consistent person, especially when you talk about the role that he has. That’s why you can hear a little bit of the guys [in the locker room] and their feeling for him.”

A former second-round pick (54th overall in 2021), Mamukelashvili has signed one-year, minimum-salary contracts with San Antonio each of the past two offseasons. The 25-year-old’s career night came at a great time, as he flew in his father to watch the game with other family members, Wright notes. Mamukelashvili will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

“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.”