Knicks All-Star raves over huge night from slumping teammate

Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA;  New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) drives to the basket in the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

New York Knicks All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns was elated to see Mikal Bridges find his groove against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. Bridges had a statement game in the Knicks’ 118-85 blowout win over the Pelicans. The Villanova product scored 31 points on 12-19 shooting from the field, grabbed four rebounds, and went 7-12 from the three-point line.

Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns loved Mikal Bridges’ eruption

Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA;  New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket in the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

In the locker room after the final buzzer, Towns spoke to the media and had this to say about his thoughts on Bridges’ dominance on the affair, per SNY:

“Special tonight. Just played with a ton of confidence. Shot the ball well. Got his swag going, his celebrations and stuff. It was a great night to be watching him hit shots like that,” Towns said.

Knicks: Bridges broke slump in scoring onslaught vs. Pels

Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA;  New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) celebrates after scoring in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Prior to the contest, Bridges was averaging 15.5 points per game. He was struggling to shoot from the three-point line with a 30.6 percent connect rate and seemed to be out of joint when finding his role in the offense.

The Knicks made it their business to get the Pennsylvania native going early. As a result, he translated the green light he was given into 16 first-half points and nearly replicated that in the second half.

All in all, his Knicks teammates, particularly Towns (14 points) and All-Star Jalen Brunson (16 points) took a backseat to Bridges, understanding how critical it was to get their star teammate going. It paid off immensely and led to the win. Towns’ confidence in the 28-year-old figures to help their unit develop more continuity as the season wears on.

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