Mikal Bridges is starting to show why the Knicks felt he was such an important addition.
Bridges poured in a season high 41 points and the Spurs were denied a chance at a tying bucket in the final seconds as the Knicks scored a 117-114 win on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden for their fifth in row.
“We also know it’s an honor to be playing on this day, so we embrace that. We also know what it means to our city and our fans, so we wanted to give them something to be proud of,” Coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Knicks have won 9 of 11 and 15 of their last 19 as they continue to improve and are starting to mesh.
“We took a jump this month. Every day, just keep trying to get better. We want to win, that’s the main goal but sometimes just getting better is also what we’re looking for,” Bridges said.
After Chris Paul’s shot from beyond the arc pulled the Spurs within three with 39 seconds left, the Knicks missed two shots, but Josh Hart’s pure hustle enabled them to run out the clock and pull out a thrilling win in what was a highly competitive game.
“Plays like that, that’s my job,” Hart said. “Happy we got the win, we made it tough on ourselves, that’s a good team right there but happy we got the win.”
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points, but foul trouble limited him to 30 minutes while Jalen Brunson scored 20 points with 9 assists.
Victor Wembanyama put on quite a performance with 42 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocked shots but it was Bridges who stole the show, in a game that featured 10 ties and 20 lead changes.
Bridges, who was 17 of 25 from the floor, 6 of 9 from three with four assists, two steals and two blocks, has been a big reason why the Knicks have reached a high point of their season by going ten games over .500 (20-10).
“It was special, I mean he [Bridges] picked a helluva day to do it,” Towns said. “Super proud of him, he came out aggressive, we kept feeding him the ball, he kept scoring so shout out to him.”
The Knicks led 28-27 after one, but Wembanyama scored 14 points in the second quarter and finished with 24 in the first half as San Antonio took a 58-51 lead at halftime.
“It’s similar to what Cap [Brunson] does because you have to defend him [Wembanyama] all over the floor,” Thibodeau said about the difficulties of guarding the 7’3” second year player. “Often times, it’s transition and it’s in a scramble, it’s a pitch back and if you’re not alert and aware like sometimes your guards have to switch out on that. I thought the second half, we did a better job with that, but if he gets an open look and he’s got balance, it’s going to be a good shot. Then, you put small around him, he can go into the post. He’s good putting it on the floor so a guy like that you have to guard with your team, you also have to be aware of what’s going on.”
The Knicks were trailing 64-61 with a little over seven minutes left in the third quarter when Towns scored five straight points on a vicious dunk over Wembanyama and then he hit a three to make it a 66-64 lead.
With 2:30 left in the third, former St. John’s product Julian Champagnie hit a three to put the Spurs up 83-78. The Knicks proceeded to go on a 10-0 run to close the quarter, capped off by a Bridges three as they took an 88-83 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
San Antonio took a 102-94 lead with a little over seven minutes left in the fourth after Tre Jones completed a three-point play, but Bridges, Hart and O.G. Anunoby hit three consecutive shots from beyond the arc for a 103-102 advantage.
Bridges’ step back jumper with less than four minutes left capped off a minute of play that saw four consecutive lead changes and the Knicks holding a 107-106 lead.
Jeremy Sochan hit a three to tie the game at 109, but Deuce McBride hit a clutch three to give the Knicks a 112-109 lead with less than three minutes left.
Paul made two free throws to cut the lead to one but Bridges’ turnaround jumper made it 114-111. After Wembanyama missed a short jumper, Bridges capped off his night with a pull up jumper that gave the Knicks a 116-111 lead with a little over a minute remaining.
Hart made one of two free throws for a six point lead but Paul’s three with :42 seconds left cut the lead to three as the Knicks called time out to advance the ball.
After inbounding, the Knicks ran time off the clock but Brunson missed a 15 foot, pull up jumper. The rebound came out near the foul line where Anunoby, Paul and Devin Vessell all tried to secure it, but Hart dove for the loose ball and was able to get it to Brunson near the midcourt line.
The clock did not reset and as the shot clock was winding down, Anunoby threw up a three from the corner that bounced off the rim but the opportunistic Hart, who had 12 rebounds, got his fifth offensive rebound as time ran out to the delight of an energetic crowd that looked to celebrate the holiday with a win.
“We get a stop and scoring and stuff, just hearing the crowd. The end of the game, Josh getting that rebound at the end, you hear the excitement of the crowd, they’re just roaring out there. It’s crazy,” Bridges said.
Bridges has thrived in the month of December. In 11 games, he’s shooting 58% from the floor and 47% from three, while averaging 22.7 PPG.
“We knew it was just a matter of time before he found it and now he found it,” Hart said.
Thibodeau appreciates what he has in the seven year veteran.
“He’s smart, you can execute with him. There are so many intangibles that he brings to the team. I think his teammates are getting used to him, he’s getting used to his teammates so it’s creating big advantages for us,”he said.