Mikal Bridges Reacts to Being Benched for Knicks' Crunch Time in New Video After Hawks Loss
Mikal Bridges was on the bench in crunch time as the New York Knicks lost Game 3 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
The veteran swingman said it was tough to have to watch from the bench, but said it's on him to earn the trust to be on the court late.
"Yeah, for sure, but I just gotta be better so I can be out there," Bridges said (5:50 mark).
Bridges had a tough night as the Knicks lost 109-108 to the Hawks. He didn't score and committed four turnovers while shooting 0-of-3 from the field in 21 minutes.
Bridges came into the game for the Knicks' final defensive possession, but was pulled when New York was on offense. The Knicks' last possession ended with a bad pass from Jalen Brunson after he was double-teamed on the baseline in the final seconds.
"The way the game was being played, the different runs that we made and the different combinations I threw out there, I just went with what I felt the game called for," Knicks head coach Mike Brown told reporters.
Bridges wasn't great in Game 2 either, scoring 10 points in 3-of-10 from the field and missing the game-winning shot in a 107-106 loss.
Bridges, who averaged 15.6 points per game during the Knicks' run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, has been held scoreless over the past six quarters, his last bucket being in the second quarter of Game 2.
"Mikal is a pro," Brown said. "He's been there, he's played in hundreds of games, he'll be fine."
The Knicks looked ready for a Finals run at the end of the regular season, but they now have a 2-1 deficit to overcome just to make it out of the first round. Getting Bridges back on track after his recent struggles will be instrumental as New York looks to turn the series around.
