The Lakers’ win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday did more than push Los Angeles to 10 victories first in the NBA this season. It also gave Sandro Mamukelashvili his clearest statement game yet in purple and gold.
After the final buzzer, head coach JJ Redick singled out the forward-center for the kind of night that sticks with a staff. Mamukelashvili delivered 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes, and Redick made sure to highlight how much of it mattered.
“Sandro, his best game as a Laker and whatever, he had 23 points,” Redick said. “That was awesome.
Made some big-time plays. I thought the two defensive rebounds he got there in the last few minutes were as big as any play he made all night.”
Luka Doncic was the headline act in the victory, but Mamukelashvili gave the Lakers a major lift, especially with Austin Reaves out because of illness. He shot 7-of-13 from the field, knocked down 5-of-8 from deep, and hit all four of his free throws. His plus-20 was the best mark on the team.
The scoring outburst was a season high for Mamukelashvili, and it came in a game where Los Angeles needed every useful possession it could get.
Mamukelashvili entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was taken by the Indiana Pacers with the 54th pick in the second round before his rights were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night. He later played for Milwaukee, the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors before joining the Lakers in the offseason on a four-year, $52 million deal.
For the Georgian forward-center, the night fit into a larger climb. Through 12 games of the 2026-27 season, he is averaging 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists for Los Angeles.
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