Sandro Mamukelashvili Spurs Victory over the Knicks Creates NBA History
NBA history was achieved on Wednesday when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 120-105 thanks to a record-breaking performance by big Sandro Mamukelashvili. Quentin Grimes led the injury-plagued 76ers to an incredible victory over the Rockets on March 17, just days earlier, with a career-high 46 points. With their exceptional performances, both players made an impression on the league.
For Mamukelashvili, his 34 points also was a career high. After coming on in the second quarter, he immediately scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from long range, while also pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out an assist.
Since Victor Wembanyama was sidelined for the rest of the season due to deep vein thrombosis, Mamukelashvili has been an integral part of San Antonio’s rotation. He made a little NBA history on Wednesday by conjuring up a career performance.
The 25-year-old had a Wembanyama-like effort, scoring 34 points, pulling down nine rebounds, and dishing out three assists in just 19 minutes of action.
Mamukelashvili’s outburst made him the first player in league history to score at least 34 points and pull down five rebounds in less than 20 minutes.
Chris Paul and his teammates gathered behind Mamukelashvili as he was getting hot and wanted to garner him more attention. Mamukelashvili’s father, Zurab, and other family members, together with rapper Flavour Flav and a long-time friend, were among the special guests who made his historic performance even more memorable.
After the game, Mamukelashvili explained he was shocked by the accomplishment and pointed to his teammates, family, and friends as well as his own hard work and support network for getting him there.
