Knicks Notes: Mikal Bridges making his mark on, off court this holiday season

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On Monday, Mikal Bridges hosted three single mothers and their families at the Garden. As Bridges’ guests, the families had special access to the Knicks’ pregame warmups that night. They watched the Knicks beat Toronto in a private box.

Bridges had 14 points and five assists in the win. But it seemed like the time he spent with those single-mother families on Monday meant more to Bridges than anything that happened on the court.

“I grew up with a single mother (Bridges was raised by his mother, Tyneeha Rivers) so I know how much those mothers go through,” Bridges said. “And I don’t even know (the full) extent because there’s stuff my mom did that I probably don’t know to this day…. So it’s good to be in this position to give back and show them maybe not everyone sees (the mothers’ sacrifice), but I see it and let them know that we appreciate you.”

Bridges met the families through the Garden of Dreams Foundation Adopt-A-Family Program. In addition to a night at the Garden, Bridges gave the mothers and their families 55 gifts, covering their entire holiday wish list.

“It’s awesome just to be able to be in a position to do that,” he said.

Two days after delivering holiday cheer to those families, Bridges gave 19,000 Knicks fans a gift they’ll never forget.

He scored 41 crucial points in New York’s Christmas Day win over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. Bridges’ scoring kept the Knicks in a game where his teammates missed 23-of-30 threes. He scored or assisted on 13 points in the final seven minutes to help New York erase an eight-point deficit.

“It was special, man. He picked a hell of a day to do it,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of Bridges. “Super proud of him.”

Bridges’ big day landed him in the Knicks record books. He now owns the franchise’s third-highest scoring total on Christmas Day. He’s also been compiling a strong case for Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

Entering play Wednesday, Bridges was averaging 21 points on 56 percent shooting (44 percent from 3) in December.

His play this month is a stark contrast from his first five weeks as a Knick. He averaged 15.5…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-notes-mikal-bridges-making-161046514.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2024-12-26 16:10:00

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