The Lakers got an indirect win over the Celtics on Monday.
Sandro Mamukelashvili’s Georgia side pieced together a big second half to overcome a double-digit deficit and knock off Portugal and Celtics big man Neemias Queta, 98-90.
Any win over Boston is a good win.
Portugal jumped ahead in the first half and led for most of the opening two quarters, opening up an 11-point lead late in the first. Georgia started chipping away at the lead and went into the locker room down just one after a crazy three from Mamu at the buzzer.
That spark carried into the second half where Georgia completely overturned the deficit, using a 10-0 run to take the lead and never look back. Georgia won the second half 57-48 to win going away.
Mamu finished the game with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. He shot 6-18 from the field and 3-9 from three.
The win moved Georgia into the top three after this set of qualifiers with 13 points, tied with Spain. Ukraine tops the group with 14 points. Portugal, Greece and Montenegro all have 12 points. The top three teams in the group qualify for the FIBA World Cup.
Georgia’s final four qualifying games will be without Mamu and the other NBA players on the roster.
Slovenia earns big win
Elsewhere in qualifying, Slovenia routed Hungary, 92-77, to move into third in their group as well. They’ll face France without NBA players in February. Considering they’ve been playing without any NBA players, notably Luka Dončić or Jaxson Hayes, it feels like a much more winnable game.
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