Christmas Day Showdown: Mikal Bridges Shines Bright in New York
ON CHRISTMAS DAY, with his team down by three late in the third quarter, New York Knicks wing Mikal Bridges decided he wasn’t going to be denied. It was a moment that would define not just the game, but perhaps his season with the Knicks.
As the clock ticked down, Bridges saw his teammate Deuce McBride launch a long jumper. With the instincts of a seasoned pro, Bridges sprinted to the block, ready to seize any opportunity for an offensive rebound. And seize it he did. Tapping McBride’s miss back into the air, Bridges caught the ball, squared up, and took a short corner jumper, all while absorbing contact from Spurs guard Keldon Johnson.
The shot found its mark, sending Madison Square Garden into a frenzy. Bridges, having fallen to the ground from Johnson’s foul, took a moment to flex his biceps for the cameras before coolly tying the game with the ensuing free throw. It was a display of sheer determination and skill that left fans buzzing.
Bridges was nothing short of dominant that day, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter alone, including a game-sealing jumper, to finish with an impressive 41 points. This performance was his strongest as a Knick by a mile and capped off a stellar month for Bridges, who boasted the NBA’s best effective field goal rate (65.7%) in December among players who took at least 15 shots per game.
Originally Written by: Chris Herring
