Sandro Mamukelashvili makes NBA history with 34 points in 19 minutes

SAN ANTONIO – DECRONTADO AND IN A STATE OF INCREDULITY, SAN ANTONIO SPURS FORWARD Sandro Mamukelashvili He walked half a half dressed near his locker on Wednesday night repeating the same words after the victory of his 120-105 team over the New York Knicks.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Mamukelashvili. “I don’t know what happened.”

With the taste of good friend and rapper flavoring a crowd of 18,521 that happily flooded the center of Frost Bank with MVP songs, Mamukelashvili made history in the NBA by scoring the largest number of points, a maximum of 34 years, in a game when he played less than 20 minutes since 1951-52, when the minutes were official.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” he said. “I can’t explain how I feel right now. I feel that I am in a dream. I manifested and I prayed for it. I just waited for this day. I really had an experience out of the body for a little there. I thought, ‘Is this really happening?”

The Spurs teammates made sure of that, Mobbing Mamukelashvili on the floor in the final bell. Dressed in a red shirt with his characteristic watch hanging from his neck, Flavor Flav made him even more real when he crashed in the interview after the striker’s game to say: “I don’t care what nobody says. My man is in fiiiiiiiiiirrreeee!”

Sitting a Mamukelashvili locker minutes after all the pandemmonium on the court, teammate Jeremy Sochan He asked half-broma if “we can get flavors to stay” in San Antonio for a while.

With an average of 8.9 minutes for the season, Mamukelashvili did not enter the game of Wednesday up to 55 seconds in the second quarter. The 25 -year -old wasting little time making his presence feel. Mamukelashvili scored his first cube on a notice of a Blake Wesley miss. Then, it drilled a 27 -foot foot of a Stephon Castle Attend to give the Spurs a 7 -point advantage.

The room would end with 13 points in 5 of 6 shots, including 3 of 3 long Range with 7 rebounds and an assistance when San Antonio left the floor to the intermediate leading 67-43.

“13 of 14 from the field, 7 of 7 of 3, it would be ridiculous to say that it was expected in 19 minutes and 26 seconds of opportunity,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. “He is a very good shooter, and you are just waiting for one of those games.

Mamukelashvili did not play in the third quarter. But in the final painting, he illuminated the Knicks for 21 points in 8 of 8 shots, including 4 of 4 from a range of 3 points to carry with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Mamukelashvili heated so much that his teammate Chris Paul He started calling the actions in the section so that his teammate is more look.

“Fortunately, I have played for a while and I know the art of receiving shots,” Paul said. “Mamu is an incredible teammate. He comes and works hard every day, greets the boys, always in a good mood, good attitude. When he shoots the ball like that, you just try to find the guy.”

Mamukelashvili became the fourth player in the NBA history to shoot 90% from the field, 100% in triples and 100% in free throws in a game, joining Tyrese Haliburton (2022), Gary Payton (1995) and Charles Barkley. It is also located as the third spur in demolishing 7 of 7 or better in triples, joining Matt Bonner (2010) and Steve Smith (2001).

The historical night could not have arrived at a better time for Mamukelashvili, who had just fly in his father, Zurab, from New Jersey to see Wednesday’s game with other family members. Flavor Flav, who celebrated his birthday on March 16, has been a friend of Mamukelashvili “for a long time,” said the striker. Mamukelashvili and Flavor Flav met through the financial advisor.

Flavor Flav even came to see Mamukelashvili in 2021 in his first summer league in the NBA.

“I was telling me: ‘I’m going out,” said Mamukelashvili. “He called me and said: ‘For my birthday, I come to San Antonio’. Then, I thought, ‘ok, you will not have fun there.'”

However, he did it thanks to a friend’s race at Frost Bank Center.

“I’m trying to improve. I’m trying to establish myself,” Mamukelashvili said. “I am trying to show everyone that I belong. I will continue advancing towards that. I am very happy to have a support team behind me: my girl, my friends, my teammates, my family. Once he sinks, you are like, ‘Ok, I really worked for this and is happening.’ It was an incredible feeling.”

ESPN’s investigation contributed to this report.