Mikal Bridges once again delivering for Knicks in playoffs

“I’ve got to take it on the chin, handle it how I’m supposed to and be ready for the next one. You know, it’s going to suck. I’ve just got to be better to help my team out there.”

The quote is from Knicks wing Mikal Bridges after Game 3 of the Hawks series, while he was answering questions from reporters about his play that night. Bridges had four turnovers, one rebound, and two assists in 21 minutes. He didn’t score in Game 3, missing all four of his shot attempts.

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“I’ve just got to clean it up,” Bridges had said. “It’s on me.”

Sometimes, those answers turn out to be empty cliches.

Not in this case.

In the next seven games, Bridges averaged 15.6 points on 67 percent shooting. He hit 44 percent of his threes and averaged 1.7 steals and 2.7 assists per game.

The Knicks won all seven games by an average of more than 26 points. They were plus-123 in Bridges’ 203 minutes.

“It’s a testament to who he is and how he prepares himself and how he gets ready for the game, regardless of what’s going on,” Jalen Brunson said last week of Bridges. “Having a next-play mentality, having short-term memory, just focusing on the next play, next play.

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“So, regardless of what happens, positive or negative, he’s locked into the next one. That’s just who he is.”

Bridges obviously didn’t let his Game 3 performance against Atlanta linger for too long.

He played strong team defense and slowed Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker over the course of the series.

Bridges then served as the primary defender on Tyrese Maxey in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In the first three games of the series, Maxey averaged 18.6 points, 10 fewer than his regular season average. He went 2-for-12 from beyond the arc, and had four turnovers per game – nearly double his regular season average.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) in the third quarter during game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Mike Brown and Bridges’ teammates were quick to credit him for the effort he displayed in chasing…

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Publish date : 2026-05-15 13:00:00

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