TORONTO – Mikal Bridges had an epiphany.
He was passive and struggling for about a month, and had the look and feel of a player who wasn’t at the level needed for his team to succeed.
But something changed during Wednesday’s 119-92 win over the Raptors. He went from insecure to extremely effective, dropping a game-high 30 points and carrying the Knicks to a feel-good victory under difficult circumstances.
“Over the last few weeks… I think over the last few weeks I just… felt like I couldn’t coach at my level,” Bridges said. “I don’t know what it was, maybe I felt like I had too much entitlement. But it was something where I had to sit down and talk to myself a little bit, and just look at yourself in the mirror and what kind of player I wanted to be.”
“It affected me personally on both sides of the ball.”
Bridges and the Knicks came alive in the third quarter in Toronto. And on the same day, news broke that the Bucks were making offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo — a development that has New York’s front office interested — and the shorthanded Knicks staged an impressive comeback.
The heroes were the wings, Bridges and OG Anunoby, who combined for 56 points and engineered the second-half turnaround that extended New York’s winning streak to four games.
They made up for a sickeningly bad night from Jalen Brunson, who battled an illness, scored just 13 points and sat most of the second half.
There was also a tactical adjustment from the players and staff, realizing they had to combat the Raptors’ ball pressure with quick drives rather than half-court sets.
“We had to throw away everything we had to do offensively in terms of sets and early offense and say, ‘Hey, if they’re in you, get past them,’” coach Mike Brown said.
Karl-Anthony Towns was ineffective offensively (only eight points), but provided the highlight of the night: a nifty over-the-shoulder pass to Bridges on that game-changing run in the third quarter. Towns sprinted to the hoop from the trail position just in time to grab an offensive rebound — the 19th of his season-high 22 boards Wednesday — and slide his no-look assist to a streaking Bridges as he fell out of bounds.
It gave the Knicks a nine-point lead, which expanded to 27 at the final buzzer.
“I estimated that correctly [Bridges] would be in that area, trusted him,” Towns said. “The trust paid off, he was right where I thought he was and we were able to get two points and keep the momentum going.”
The Knicks (29-18) improved to 3-0 against the Raptors (29-20) this season. They trailed by as many as twelve in the first half and won the second 72-41. They killed the Raptors’ spirits with a 13-0 run to end the third quarter, perhaps their best period since New Year’s Eve.
Bridges scored 19 of his 30 points in the third quarter and shot 12-of-15 overall. It was his best game in a long time. Same with Anunoby.
“[Anunoby] had six steals, seven deflections. Those numbers are unheard of defensively,” Brown praised. “What I loved about OG was his ability to attack the rim. He attacked the rim like a grown man. His finishes were incredible.”
The result had consequences for the rankings. The teams started Wednesday virtually tied for third in the East, behind the Pistons and Celtics. The Knicks are now up by a full game.
Brown said it didn’t matter, not in January.
“I haven’t looked at it lately, but I know we’re there. There’s a lot of basketball left,” the coach said. “Every match is important. Try to get it. But it’s not the end of the world because there’s still a long season to go. If we win, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll finish ahead of them. If they win, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll finish ahead of us.”
Still, it was an impressive finish considering the circumstances. The Knicks were missing players and visibly exhausted in the first half after playing Tuesday night and flying from New York to Toronto. Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson were managing the load and were unavailable. Josh Hart, who finished with 22 points and six assists, was dealing with a sore ankle.
The team also faced trade rumors after news of the availability of Antetokounmpo, who is a Knicks target and needs a pick in return.
At least for one night, it was easier to forget about the Greek Freak. And easier to remember what Bridges is capable of.
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