New York Knicks grateful for Mikal Bridges amid Brooklyn doubleheader

Michael Bridges turned out to be a net gain for the New York Knicks on Friday night.

Bridges has struggled to find his Manhattan footing since donning a Knicks jersey, but he was an undisputed hero when his former employers came to town: the rival Brooklyn Nets ate away at the Knicks’ 18-point lead that began in the fourth quarter, but Bridges’ rejection of a forthcoming Dennis Schroder equaliser sealed a 124-122 victory at Madison Square Garden.

The relieved hysterics, aided by Jalen Brunson’s three-pointer seconds before Bridges’ block, were palpable both in the MSG stands and in the locker room, where all parties were grateful for the former Brooklynite.

“He changes the game and affects the game in a lot of different ways,” praised Josh Hart, according to Ian Begley of SNY. “People want to talk about shooting or playmaking or whatever; that’s why you get a guy like that – to impact plays like that, to make winning plays. He’s a winning player.”

“(The block) was really nice. I had to lock back in after (Jalen Brunson) hit the three because I knew they had (no) timeouts,” Bridges himself added. by Evan Barnes of Newsday. “I tried not to let the ball roll and let (Schroder) get steamed up, so I tried to pick him up a little bit and it felt good, especially right in front of our bench.”

Friday marked the first meeting between the Knicks and Nets since the two initiated a trade for Bridges, the first time they had traded since 1983. The Knicks sent mostly future draft picks over the bridge to Bridges, prompting Hart to joke that The Knicks acquired his services for “a bunch of 12th graders”.

Another game is scheduled for Sunday night (7 p.m. ET, MSG) as the Knicks seek their eighth straight win over the former New Jerseyans.

Bridges also scored 22 points for the Knicks (6-6) on Friday while hitting 4-of-7 from the extra point line. A visit from his former compatriots proved to be something of an antidote to his opening games as a Knick: Entering Friday’s game, Bridges was shooting less than 31 percent from three-point range, and New York had yet to take advantage of his famous defensive prowess.

Allowing up to 40 to the Nets will no doubt continue to weigh on the Knicks’ psyche, especially with a rematch looming. However, Hart admonished anyone who questioned Bridges’ commitment to recovery, as he is more than happy to have his former Villanova Wildcat back in the fold.

“People try to put pressure on him to be perfect,” Hart told Begley. “The beauty of ‘Kal is he wants to go out there and he wants to find ways to impact the game — even if it’s not making shots. We’re happy for him.”

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