Sandro Mamukelashvili became the first player in NBA history to score 34 points while playing less than 20 minutes.
Sandro Mamukelashvili made NBA history. The Georgian forward/center scored a career-high 34 points on 13/14 shooting in 19 minutes to become the first player in NBA history to score 34 points while playing less than 20 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs upended the New York Knicks 120-105 on Wednesday night.
Mamukelashvili, who was 7/7 from 3-point range, had 13 points, seven rebounds and an assist in eight minutes in the first half as San Antonio rolled to a 28-point lead.
He had 21 points in the final quarter to help the Spurs secure the victory.
Mamukelashvili, who came off the bench, missed only one of his fourteen shots. He also had 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Of his 34 points, he scored 21 in the final quarter, which helped the Spurs win.
The historic performance of the 25-year-old forward is a bright spot for the struggling Texas club, which lost star players Victor Wembanyama (thrombosis in his shoulder) and De'Aaron Fox (pinky surgery) this season and has virtually no chance of a place in the play-offs.
All that injury woes led to Mamukelashvili being able to shine against the Knicks. On average, he only gets 9 minutes of playing time coming off the bench, in which he scores 5 points.
Mamukelashvili accomplished his remarkable feat in New York, the city where he was born. He then grew up in Georgia, where he joined the youth academy of the Italian club Biella at the age of fourteen. In 2016, he returned to the US, where he is currently in his fifth season in the NBA after graduating from Seton Hall University.
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