There have been nights this season where forward Sandro Mamukelashvili looked like a nice rotational piece; against the Knicks last week, he looked like a star.
The Spurs (29-39), playing without center Victor Wembanyama or guard De’Aaron Fox, blew out the third-seeded New York Knicks (43-25) 120-105 behind an utterly absurd performance from forward Mamukelashvili. He torched New York for a career-high 34 points in just 19 minutes on 13-of-14 shooting, including a perfect 7-of-7 from deep. The 6-foot-9 forward became the first player in NBA history to score 34 points in fewer than 20 minutes played.
“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Mamukelashvili said of his monumental performance. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. I manifested and prayed for it.”
Everything the Knicks threw at him failed: their drop coverage couldn’t contain him, and their rotations were late. When they finally made a push — trimming a 28-point second-quarter deficit to just eight in the third — it was Mamukelashvili who snatched the momentum right back with a barrage of threes and finishes at the rim.
Forward Stephon Castle, who’s quickly establishing himself as a Rookie of the Year frontrunner, added 22 points — including multiple buckets to halt New York’s second-half surges. Guard Chris Paul, returning to the starting lineup, calmly directed the offense with nine assists and some vintage midrange pull-ups, while forward Harrison Barnes chipped in 11 points and four boards.
“We made some really timely shots,” Paul said. “When you’ve been in games like that, you just need one shot to go in to take a deep breath, and we had guys make those types of shots.”
Defensively, the Spurs set the tone from the opening tip. Forward Devin Vassell led the charge with a pair of early blocks and active hands that helped fuel transition opportunities. Even without their 7-foot-3 anchor, San Antonio won the rebounding battle 52-44 and outscored the Knicks in fast break points 20-6.
Center Karl-Anthony Towns was the only Knick who stepped up with 32 points, but the rest of the starters couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half. New York as a team shot just 31% from the floor before halftime, but by the time they found a rhythm, Mamukelashvili had found flames.
A 28-point lead is never safe in today’s NBA, but the Spurs never looked shaken. They moved the ball with purpose, hit 16 total threes and got contributions from nearly everyone in the rotation. But the night belonged to the Georgian-American, who made history and made it look easy.
“You cannot waste an NBA minute,” Mamukelashvili said. “Nothing is guaranteed or promised. I’m trying to establish myself and show everyone that I belong, and I’ll keep making strides towards that.”
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