Knicks Grateful For Mikal Bridges Amid Brooklyn Doubleheader

Mikal Bridges proved 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 the fourth quarter, but Bridges’ rejection of a would-be Dennis Schroder equalizer 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 in both the MSG stands and locker room with all parties grateful for the former Brooklynite.

“He changes the game and impacts the game in many different ways,” Josh Hart lauded, per Ian Begley of SNY. “People want to talk about shooting or play-making or whatever it is; that’s why you get a guy like that – to impact games like that, to make winning plays. He’s a winning player.”

“[The block] was real nice. I had to lock back in after [Jalen Brunson] hit that three because I knew they had [no] timeouts,” Bridges himself added, per Evan Barnes of Newsday. “I was trying to not let the ball roll and let [Schroder] get steam 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 engaged in a barter for Bridges, the first time they had done business since 1983. The Knicks mostly sent future draft picks across the bridge for Bridges, leading Hart to joke that the Knicks obtained his services for “a bunch of 12th graders.”

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

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

Letting up 40 to the Nets will no doubt continue to weigh on the Knicks’ psyche, especially with a rematch looming. Hart, however, admonished anyone questioning Bridges’ commitment to reclamation, as he’s more than happy to have his fellow former Villanova Wildcat back in the fold.

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

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