Dylan Backer
The New York Knicks couldn’t close out their tough part of the schedule strong, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road 97-110. Despite the Lakers being without LeBron James, New York was outclassed from start to finish, losing wire-to-wire.
Knicks got nothing from Mikal Bridges vs. Lakers
As a team, the Knicks shot poorly, going 8-for-34 from downtown. Perhaps the biggest problem, however, was that they once again couldn’t get serviceable production out of one of their key pieces: Mikal Bridges.
Bridges was a total non-factor in LA, scoring zero points in 27 minutes of action. He shot 0-for-6 from the floor and 0-for-4 from three, getting in no sort of rhythm on offense whatsoever.
Additionally, he wasn’t much of a factor on defense either, landing into foul trouble early with four fouls through the first three quarters. That left a Knicks team already searching for answers without a potential solution, and the others were unable to pick up Bridges’ slack.
Bridges continues to be inconsistent
Inconsistency has marred what started out as a promising season for Bridges. While he has some big games like the blowout win against the Spurs, far too often he comes up short, which is not acceptable given the expectations placed on him as a result of the lucrative trade two summers ago and the big contract extension this past offseason.
New York has gotten the value of Bridges not missing any games, but they haven’t gotten the hybrid efficient scorer with strong defense on a consistent basis. They need him to be dialed in more often, as they cannot afford to have him be a net negative regularly.
Bridges will have an opportunity to get right on Monday, when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers in a back-to-back. The Knicks need him to find some rhythm with the playoffs around the corner.
More about:New York Knicks
