Walker Kessler Praises One Improving Lakers Player After Win vs Bucks

Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili never scored more than 17 points in any of his first 11 games, but after two straight 23-point nights, the Los Angeles Lakers have a bench scorer who keeps getting better.

His latest big night came in Wednesday's 123-112 win at Milwaukee, where he scored 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and went 5-of-8 from three in 26 minutes off the bench.

Point guard Luka Doncic led the way with 32 points and center Walker Kessler added 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Lakers won their seventh straight game to move to 11-2.

Afterward, Kessler made sure his teammate got the credit.

"He's just getting more confident as he plays more. He's an extremely, extremely talented offensive player," Kessler said on Wednesday. "We all believe in every shot he shoots and every play he makes."

Mamukelashvili also scored 23 points in Monday's win at Atlanta, which gives him 46 points and 10 made threes on 16 tries over his last two games after he averaged 8.6 points over his first 11.

Head coach JJ Redick singled him out after the win in Atlanta, and after Wednesday's game he said he wants Mamukelashvili to know how much the team believes in him and how much freedom he has.

Mamukelashvili is now averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 41.2% from three, and he has come off the bench in all 13 games since signing a four-year, $52 million deal in July.

Kessler has been a big part of this run too.

The Lakers got him from Utah on July 8 in a sign-and-trade for two future first-round picks and two pick swaps, and he has started all 13 games while averaging 14.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks on 67.5% shooting.

He has also credited the team's toughness during this winning streak.

Los Angeles needs every bit of this scoring right now, because shooting guard Austin Reaves left Wednesday's game with a left heel injury.

His X-rays came back negative and he was set for more imaging on Thursday, but no result had been made public as of Friday morning.

Shooting guard Collin Sexton needed stitches after a head clash, and shooting guard Quentin Grimes has missed the last two games with a finger sprain.

All three are listed as day-to-day, and so is Doncic after he turned his right ankle late in the game, though he said he would be fine.

There is still a real chance the Lakers go without Reaves for a while, which puts more on the bench and makes Mamukelashvili one of the players who must step up.

I like this version of Mamukelashvili next to Kessler, because a big man who can hit threes pulls defenders away from the rim and gives Doncic more room to drive and Kessler more space inside.

The Lakers lead the West by half a game over the San Antonio Spurs and play next on Sunday at Phoenix before hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday and Kessler's old team, the Utah Jazz, on Wednesday.

If Mamukelashvili keeps shooting like this, I think the streak keeps going while Reaves heals.