by Mikal Bridges bounced back from a tough road trip by scoring 31 points in a home win over New Orleans on Sunday night.
“The way he played, he was confident and it was going well,” Jalen Brunson said of Bridges. “I love seeing it.”
In the four games leading up to Sunday, Bridges was shooting just 33 percent from the floor (60 FGA). He had missed 21 of 29 three-shots. On Friday, Bridges was on the bench in the final minutes of New York’s one-point win at Charlotte.
When they sent five first-round picks to Brooklyn to acquire Bridges six months ago, the Knicks certainly didn’t envision the 28-year-old on the bench in the final minutes of a close game.
But that’s where Bridges found himself Friday.
In some ways, it was the culmination of five weeks of inconsistent play from Bridges.
He wasn’t playing at his level defensively as @_AnalyKnicks shows in this detailed analysis. He had trouble hitting off-base threes.
The uneven play led to outside criticism of both Bridges and the Knicks. But support for Bridges in the locker room never wavered.
Josh Hart has repeatedly said he is not worried about Bridges. Jalen Brunson echoes these thoughts.
Bridges says he didn’t push it. For what?
“Just because the photos I took, I liked them. And then a new team. (That’s) about it,” he said Sunday. “I never played with an offensive talent like KAT as a big. I’ve never had to deal with a lot of popping. It’s just something we’ve had to adapt to and it’s going to take time.
The Knicks found Bridges early Sunday — and he delivered. The former Net made five of his seven shots in the first quarter as New York built a 33-10 lead over a depleted Pelicans team. He finished the night with seven made shots and 12 made on 19 shot attempts.
“He’s our guy. We trust him. We trust him to make the shots. Mid-range, turnarounds. We want him to be aggressive. This is the Mikal we know,” Hart said after the match. “And over the course of the season there will be ups and downs, ups and downs; that’s why you don’t panic. Think about averages. Everything is average. So if you have a bad 10 game spell or a 15 game spell, you’re going to have a really good 15 game spell. So you never worry about it during the season.
Hart has offered off-the-cuff defenses of Bridges several times in recent weeks. He called criticism of Bridges’ shooting form “stupid” and chastised Bridges’ critics for wanting him to be “perfect.”
Bridges seems to appreciate the support.
“Josh is my man. I think he knows me,” Bridges said Sunday. “My whole life is surrounded by basketball. Everything I do – at home, on off days – just to be ready for our games. So I don’t really trip.
FOR THE CUT
The Knicks will face the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night in a big NBA Cup showdown.
If the Knicks beat the Magic, they will advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.
Brunson said Sunday night that he likes the new midseason tournament because it gives players at the bottom of the roster the chance to win big money. Players on the winning team earn $500,000.
“You have guys on the team who may have contracts for a year or two or whatever. And you can go out there and try to win for them and that means a lot,” Brunson said. “So I’m not going to wonder, ‘How is this going to benefit me?’ I wonder how this will benefit the team.
