ATLANTA — Knicks coach Mike Brown isn’t yet ready to bench Mikal Bridges, but he took a step toward it in a disappointing Game 3 finish in Atlanta.
Bridges didn’t see the floor for much of the second half in the Knicks’ 109-108 loss to the Hawks on Thursday, as New York now finds itself down two games to one in the first-round series.
Bridges went scoreless in 21 minutes and was a minus-26, committing four turnovers. It comes on the heels of a second half in Game 2 where he was also scoreless and a minus-11 as the Hawks staged a fourth-quarter comeback to steal home-court advantage in this series.
Brown chose to go with Miles McBride after pulling Bridges in the opening minutes of the third quarter, bringing him back for only the final offensive possession for Atlanta — which resulted in a CJ McCollum pull-up jump shot that gave the Hawks a one-point lead with 12.5 seconds left.
Bridges has been under fire all season, his second in New York, because of the draft capital the Knicks sacrificed in trading for him. He scored 11 points in the Knicks’ Game 1 win but has been ineffective since.
“I’m not concerned about him,” Brown said. “I just went with what I felt the game called for that time. Mikal’s a pro. He’s played hundreds of basketball games so he should be fine.”
It’s the fewest minutes Bridges has played in 60 playoff games, ahead of him playing 23 minutes in a Western Conference finals blowout win when he was a member of the Phoenix Suns in 2021.
Bridges called himself “so sloppy” with the ball, referencing his turnovers. He took accountability for his play, saying he wants to be out there in late-game situations.
“I’ve got to take this on the chin, handle it how I’m supposed to and be ready for the next one,” he said. “You know it’s going to suck. It is what it is. I’ve just got to be better to help my team out there.”
McBride was one of the few Knicks who found range with 3-point shooting, hitting five while OG Anunoby hit four, with a few of them coming with the shot clock running down and hands in his face. Anunoby led the Knicks with 29 points and added nine rebounds.
“It’s a seven-game series for a reason,” Brown said. “Stuff’s going to happen. Plenty of teams have been down 1-2. Oklahoma City was down last year [in the Finals] and ended up winning it. I’m not saying we’re gonna win it [all] but the reality is, it’s seven games.”
Last year, the Knicks lost Game 2 in the first round to Detroit but won both games on the road to take a 3-1 lead. Atlanta was far more aggressive this time.
The Hawks got more strong contributions from Jonathan Kuminga, who scored 21 points off the bench with his athleticism and activity catching the Knicks off-guard.
It’s just another example of Atlanta doing things to make the Knicks feel very uncomfortable in these past two games.
Even the Knicks’ final offensive possessions were ragged. The sure-handed Jalen Brunson, the league’s Clutch Player of the Year last season, airballed a right-wing 3-pointer on their second-to-last offensive possession.
And after McCollum’s late bucket, Brunson couldn’t get the ball in enough time to catch a rhythm, finding himself swarmed on the baseline, resulting in a turnover on the game’s final play.
It is a rarity to see the Knicks so frazzled and disorganized late in games. They couldn’t keep their own fourth-quarter momentum after Brunson nailed a triple with 1:03 remaining to give the Knicks their first lead of the night.
“I wish I had a better answer for you,” Brunson said. “I got nothing right now.”
Brunson scored 26 but missed all five of his 3-point attempts and found himself being hunted on defense by the Hawks just like in Game 2, when McCollum brought them back in the fourth quarter.
Brunson gave the Hawks credit for their 3-point defense as the Knicks shot just 29% while the Hawks shot 39% and hit three more of their attempts.
“They’re doing a great job, they’re not really running us off the line,” Brunson said. I think they’re doing a good job of just pressuring, they’re making everything difficult.”
Facing the possibility of a 3-1 deficit come Saturday night, the pressure is squarely on the Knicks now.
