Lakers' bet on Sandro Mamukelashvili pays off as he posts back-to-back 23-point games

Sandro Mamukelashvili's four-year, $52 million deal looked like a lot of money for a reserve big man when the Los Angeles Lakers signed him in July. After two straight 23-point games off the bench on this road trip, the price is looking easier to justify.

Mamukelashvili matched his season high in Monday's 124-114 win at Atlanta. He matched it again Wednesday in a 123-112 win at Milwaukee, the franchise that held his draft rights and gave him his first NBA minutes. Over the two games he averaged 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a steal, Silver Screen and Roll (SB Nation) reported. The run follows a dip. Sports Illustrated noted he had scored only 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting across the previous three games, and JJ Redick called the Atlanta performance his best as a Laker.

The coaching staff and the locker room are telling the same story. After the Milwaukee win, Redick told reporters he wants Mamukelashvili to play through missed shots and defensive mistakes and to understand how much freedom he has. Center Walker Kessler said the team trusts every shot the forward takes. Mamukelashvili said he can feel that support but admitted it doesn't come easily to him: "I hope I'll start believing in myself as much as they do," he said, according to Silver Screen and Roll.

He has been clear about how he likes to play. Speaking to ClutchPoints, he described himself as an all-around player who passes, rebounds and fills gaps, and said that some nights he will score 23 and some nights he won't. The Lakers paid for that versatility after his best NBA season. In Toronto last year he set career highs with 11.2 points in 21.9 minutes and shot 38.9 percent from three across 80 games, according to NBA.com. He finished 10th in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

What it means for Phoenix

The Lakers take an 11-2 record and a seven-game winning streak into Sunday's game at Phoenix. They haven't lost since a 112-95 defeat at Golden State. The road hasn't slowed them down. They are 6-1 away from home, and Sunday's game ends a trip that has already produced wins at Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee.

The offense has carried the streak. Los Angeles is scoring about 125 points a game during the seven straight wins, up from a season average of roughly 122, and is outscoring opponents by nearly eight points a night overall. The defense has been the shakier side. Five of the last seven opponents scored at least 114, and Portland's 136 in the Lakers' home loss is the most they have allowed.

That makes a bench scorer who can also pass and rebound especially useful. If Mamukelashvili keeps playing with the freedom Redick is asking for, the Lakers gain a reliable second-unit option to protect leads, and those leads have often been small. Four of the seven wins in the streak came by 10 points or fewer. Whether his last two games become his normal output or stay a peak will be one of the things to watch in the desert on Sunday.