The New York Knicks are playing their second game of the season on Friday night.
You might not realize that Mikal Bridges is even out there if you just look at the stat sheet, though.
The Knicks lost a tough game in their opener on Tuesday when the Philadelphia 76ers rallied past them to win late.
Now, New York is trying to bounce back in another marquee game, playing in Boston against the Celtics.
Bridges isn’t helping the cause much at all.
Is Mikal Bridges Playing Tonight?
Yes, Mikal Bridges is active and healthy and playing tonight for the Knicks.
He just was shut out in the first half. He scored zero points before the intermission.
The Knicks trailed at the half, 50-49.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 12 points.
OG Anunoby and Miles McBride each had eight points.
Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson each had seven points.
Bridges had 0.
Why Doesn’t Mikal Bridges Have Any Points?
Bridges simply hasn’t had any first half success putting the ball in the basket.
He missed all four field goals he attempted in the first half.
All four tries were from 3-point range. He wasn’t in attack mode at all, not taking a 2 or getting to the line.
Bridges is often a smooth midrange shooter, too, but he didn’t get to any of those spots, either.
Bridges had limited contributions elsewhere on the floor. He had two assists, a rebound, a steal and a turnover in the first half.
Mikal Bridges Stats
This slow start in the first half followed up a terrible opener for Bridges.
He played 33 minutes in their opening loss to the 76ers and made just 2-of-8 shots. He was 0-for-2 from 3 and didn’t attempt a free throw.
That added up to four points. He also had three rebounds, one assist and one block.
Bridges averaged 14.4 points per game last season and has averaged 13 points or more per game in every year dating back to 2020-21.
He’s also a great defender and doesn’t have to score to have an impact — but it sure would help the Knicks if Bridges made a shot every once in a while.
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Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen
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