Mikal Bridges struggled to comprise Trae Younger a lot of the evening. However he shut him down when it mattered most.
Younger scored 38 factors and dished 19 assists within the Knicks’ 149-148 win over the Hawks on Wednesday evening at Madison Sq. Backyard, serving to lead a wild Atlanta comeback within the fourth quarter to power additional time.
After Jalen Brunson drilled a jumper to place the Knicks forward by the ultimate rating with 11 seconds left in additional time, Younger threatened to interrupt the Knicks’ hearts as soon as once more.
However Bridges blocked Younger’s floater, and regardless of the Hawks grabbing the rebound, Georges Niang’s 3-pointer was off and the Knicks survived.
“His resolve, determination, the will, the want to, he does it game after game,” coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned of Bridges. “And Trae is a load to deal with because you can get the first [screen] right and then the second one is coming, then there’s a third one and then to have the resolve to keep fighting and keep doing it over and over again. That’s a lot of screens you’re fighting through. You can’t say enough about what he sacrifices every game for the team and what it means to winning.”
Bridges added 11 factors.
“Just everybody helping each other trying to win the game,” Bridges mentioned of the ultimate cease. “He’s made it difficult for everybody.”
safe an additional time win over the Hawks. Jason Szenes for New York Publish
The look ahead to OG Anunoby’s return will proceed till at the very least after the All-Star break.
He missed Wednesday’s win, the fifth straight recreation he’s been out since struggling a non-contact foot sprain through the crew’s loss to the Lakers on Feb. 1.
The Knicks listed him as questionable for the sport — the identical designation he had for Tuesday’s win over the Pacers — and Thibodeau mentioned he was a game-time determination, however Anunoby didn’t swimsuit up.
He didn’t heat up on the courtroom previous to the sport, so he seemingly wasn’t that shut.
It wouldn’t have made a lot sense to hurry Anunoby again for Wednesday’s conflict, the Knicks’ final earlier than the break.
As an alternative, he’ll have one other week to recuperate earlier than the Knicks’ subsequent recreation, in opposition to the Bulls, on Feb. 20.
“It’s day-to-day,” Thibodeau mentioned earlier than Wednesday’s recreation. “It’s tolerance. Working out, see how he feels the next day, how he responds, so that’s where we are.”
Miles McBride was additionally listed as questionable and was described as a game-time determination with a rib harm.
He performed, however exited the sport early with a rib contusion.
Hart pointed his finger proper in Niang’s face after the latter missed the potential game-winning shot as time expired in additional time.
It’s unclear what prompted Hart’s response, and the Knicks closed the locker room after the sport earlier than he may converse.
