Toronto is back in the swing of things after a tough December start that included a four-game losing streak, matching their largest consecutive losing margin of the season so far. They are now riding a two-game winning streak after defeating the injury-plagued Milwaukee Bucks on December 18.
In that game, the Raptors continued to play without their Canadian star RJ Barrett, who is still rehabbing a knee sprain. They also missed starting center Jakob Poeltl, who was inactive to manage his lingering back injury that has been a nuisance for most of the year.
In his place, value bench pickup Sandro Mamukelashvili received the start and responded in a big way for his Raptors team in the winning effort. Of course, Mamu began his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he spent one and a half seasons before finding a home with the San Antonio Spurs. Mamu had an extremely efficient first half, going 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-4 from three, even though the game remained close at halftime, with the Raptors holding a 57-53 lead.
Sandro Mamukelashvili has strong showing in starting role for Raptors
At game's end, Mamu logged 36 minutes against Milwaukee, offering Toronto a significant offensive boost. He finished with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 2-for-6 from three, along with seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The second half brought a shift in momentum for Toronto, as players like Jamal Shead and Immanuel Quickley, who struggled in the first half, provided improved play. Sandro Mamukelashvili spoke about the team's dynamic in this game and what he felt was most important in their ability to secure the win during his post-game media availability (YouTube link here):
"... We was [sic] on the same page, energy was there, competitiveness. We were running running back on defense, building a wall, helping each other ... I think like we were like,Sandro Mamukelashvili, Dec. 18, 2025
we punched first, so we were not on our heels. It was great."
As an offensively focused center, offering a different contrast to Jakob Poeltl, Mamukelashvili responded to a question about his ability to provide the Raptors with a luxury spark in what was already a dominant performance by Toronto's star duo of Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes.
"... I stretched the floor ... I'm just reading it. If the big is dropping, I'mma [sic] pop and shoot the shot. If not, I'm going to go either side and just play pick and roll. Guys are finding me on the roll, so that kind of gives me, like it's easier now for me to kind of pop. I would say that. And then in transition, just running, making sure like I'm the first one down there and making sure like I can get easy points."Sandro Mamukelashvili contd.
Mamukelashvili has undoubtedly been one of the Raptors' surprise highlights of the year. While his offensive spark as a bench piece is valuable for Toronto, there remains a clear need for the team to find a more prototypical strong, burly center to complement Jakob Poeltl, either as a backup or to step in when the 30-year-old veteran is sidelined. As we've seen circulating across the NBA rumor mill as of late, there is an endless supply of possible candidates to slot into that role, whether it's a guy like Day'Ron Sharpe or Nick Richards.