At least Mikal Bridges can get away from New York for a few days.
In a 109-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series, the Knicks wing posted an 0-1-2 loss (or 0 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists), 4 turnovers, and it would be a shame if his team couldn’t come back from a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series. Heck, they might name 0-1-2 after him.
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It would be difficult for Bridges to make such a small impact for 20 minutes in a high-stakes playoff game, if only because we know how talented he is. He averaged 14.4 points (49/37/83 shooting), 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists (only one turnover) during the regular season. In the first two games of this series, a 1-1 tie at Madison Square Garden, his scoring average dropped to 10.5 points (42/30/100).
But things took a turn for the worse on Thursday, when he missed all three of his shot attempts — two corner 3s and a wide-open 12-foot turnaround. He didn’t attempt a shot five minutes into the second quarter. Even worse: In a game the Knicks lost by one point, he somehow scored -26 in 20 minutes.
To be fair, he only played five minutes in the second half. He was on the bench for the final 9 minutes and 48 seconds of the third quarter and returned to the bench at the start of the fourth quarter, but was on the bench again at the 9:25 mark of the final frame. He did return as a defensive specialist on Atlanta’s final possession — a game that ended with C.J. McCollum’s game-winning field goal.
Worth mentioning again: In games where Karl-Anthony Towns and Deuce McBride were +22 and +16 respectively, Bridges is -26. That last point about McBride prompted a postgame question from Knicks head coach Mike Brown: Would he consider replacing Bridges in the starting lineup with McBride?
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“I mean, I’m not thinking about it at all right now, you know?” said Brown, whose team plays its fourth game Saturday in Atlanta. “But, at the same time, I’ve said it before, like you said: we have to look at everything. But before we start, I’m still thinking about the game and what we can do better and all that stuff.”
That’s not a strong endorsement of Bridges, who the Knicks acquired in exchange for five first-round picks in July 2024. The lack of these assets is one of the reasons why Giannis Antetokounmpo is not currently a member of the Knicks. The level of attention in New York must be at an all-time high, right? Correct? Correct? ! ? !
“I’m not worried about him,” Brown said of Bridges. “The way the game went, the different runs we made and the different combinations I put in there, I just went with what the game called for at that time. So, I’m not worried. Mikal is a pro. He’s been there. He’s been in hundreds of basketball games. So, he’s going to be fine. But that’s what the game calls for, and that’s what I follow.”
For Bridges, the problem becomes more difficult.
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Is it difficult for you to balance your defense when your shots aren’t falling?
“I’m just trying to play well on both ends of the floor,” he said. “That’s true.”
Is it hard not to be there during key moments?
“Of course,” he said. “But I have to get better so I can play.”
What do you think caused the mistake?
“It’s a bad business day for me,” he said. “I gotta clean it up. It’s my business.”
What exactly is not going well?
“My mistake,” he said.
How do you bounce back?
“There’s no other way,” Bridges said. “There’s another game, another opportunity. It’s a tough game. I’ve got to embrace it. Handle it the way I’m supposed to handle it and get ready for the next one. It’s going to suck. That’s what it is. But I’ve got to do better to help my team.”
