Ariel Hukporti grabbed Mikal Bridges. OG Anunoby and Pacome Dadiet quickly joined the pile. Bridges was being swarmed late Friday night at the Garden – and for good reason.
His block on Dennis Schroder’s layup attempt sealed the Knicks’ win over Brooklyn. Bridges used his seven-foot wingspan to tip Schroder’s shot and save the Knicks from a brutal loss.
New York led by as many as 21 on Friday night but Brooklyn took a two-point lead with 12 seconds to play on Schroder’s three.
Jalen Brunson answered with a three on the wing with six seconds to go. Then Bridges closed the game with the block – the best moment of his brief Knick tenure.
“He gave us good energy offensively, defensively,” Josh Hart said afterward. “People are trying to put pressure on him to be perfect. 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. He got traded for five 12th graders, so we good.”
Hart was joking about the draft picks New York sent to Brooklyn in the Bridges trade. The Knicks gave the Nets unprotected first-rounders in 2025, 2027, 2029, 2031 and an unprotected pick swap in 2028.
That haul of picks has put Bridges under the microscope early in his Knicks tenure.
The 28-year-old entered play Friday averaging 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He was also shooting 30 percent from beyond the arc and part of the worst defensive starting five in the NBA. As you’d imagine, some Knicks fans were frustrated with Bridges’ performance. Patience is in short supply when you haven’t won a title in 50 years.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think there’s much panic within the locker room. Yes, the Knicks know the expectations are high. But it’s early in the season and the team is just getting used to one another.
Bridges had a strong game against his former team on Friday. He finished with 22 points (4-for-7 from three), five rebounds, four assists, one steal and a huge game-sealing block.
“He changes the game and impacts the game in many different ways,” Hart said. “People want to talk…
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