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Mike Brown Explains Decision to Limit Mikal Bridges in Win vs. Nets
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- Mike Brown Explains Decision to Limit Mikal Bridges in Win vs. Nets
(Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
The New York Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 103-90 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, but one of the bigger stories was a player who barely saw the floor after halftime.
Forward Mikal Bridges finished with six points on 1-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes, and after he left the game with 8:44 left in the third quarter, he never came back while the bench helped the Knicks pull away.
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How the Knicks Won Without Him
Brooklyn led 79-75 after three quarters, so head coach Mike Brown went to his reserves, and New York opened the fourth quarter on a 25-5 run to take a 100-84 lead.
Guard Landry Shamet led the way with a season-high 22 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including four 3-pointers, and he made all six of his free throws.
Guard Jordan Clarkson scored five of his seven points in the fourth, while guard Tyler Kolek played all of his 5:29 in that quarter, according to the New York Daily News .
It was the 15th straight win for the Knicks over the Nets, and it moved New York to 3-4 after an 0-3 start.
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What Brown Said About Bridges
Brown has now pulled Bridges in the third quarter in three of the team's seven games, according to SNY's Ian Begley , and after Monday's game he said Bridges simply needs to keep going.
"Yeah, he's just got to keep playing. Everybody goes through those ups and downs throughout the course of the season, and obviously, it's the beginning of the season right now, so he's got to find his way," Brown said.
Brown called Bridges one of the best runners in the league in both directions, and he wants him to lean on that, along with his cutting, rebounding and getting into the paint, until his shot comes around.
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He also said he thinks it is a matter of time before Bridges gets going, and he pointed to Shamet and Clarkson playing well as part of the reason the minutes went elsewhere.
Why This Is the Right Call
Bridges is averaging 6.1 points in 25.7 minutes per game while shooting 30.8% from the field and 26.9% from 3, which is far from what the Knicks need from him.
Brown has gone this route before, since he chose to sit Bridges down the stretch against the Bulls last week too.
I like that he is playing the guys who are playing well instead of going by name or contract, because a team that started 0-3 cannot afford to wait around for a slump to end.
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The bench has earned that trust.
Guard Josh Hart praised the role players after the game, Shamet has given the Knicks a steady shooter, and guard Jose Alvarado returned on Monday after missing four games with a sprained left ankle, which gives Brown even more options.
There was plenty of worry about this team after the slow start, but New York has now won three of its last four.
Bridges will get his chances, starting when the Knicks host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, and I expect him to find his shot, because a player with his track record does not stay this cold for long.
