Mikal Bridges block on Trae Younger in closing seconds secures Knicks’ win

Mikal Bridges struggled to include Trae Younger a lot of the night time. 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 night time at Madison Sq. Backyard, serving to lead a wild Atlanta comeback within the fourth quarter to drive extra time.

After Jalen Brunson drilled a jumper to place the Knicks forward by the ultimate rating with 11 seconds left in extra 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, willpower, the need, the need to, he does it recreation after recreation,” coach Tom Thibodeau stated of Bridges. “And Trae is a load to take care of as a result of you may get the primary [screen] proper after which the second is coming, then there’s a 3rd one after which to have the resolve to maintain preventing and hold doing it over and over. That’s a variety of screens you’re preventing by way of. You may’t say sufficient about what he sacrifices each recreation for the group and what it means to profitable.”

Bridges added 11 factors.

“Simply everyone serving to one another making an attempt to win the sport,” Bridges stated of the ultimate cease. “He’s made it troublesome for everyone.”

The look forward to OG Anunoby’s return will proceed till no less than 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 in the course of the group’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 stated he was a game-time determination, however Anunoby didn’t go well with up.

He didn’t heat up on the court docket 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 a substitute, he’ll have one other week to get well earlier than the Knicks’ subsequent recreation, towards the Bulls, on Feb. 20.

“It’s day-to-day,” Thibodeau stated earlier than Wednesday’s recreation. “It’s tolerance. Figuring out, see how he feels the following day, how he responds, in order that’s the place we’re.”

Miles McBride was additionally listed as questionable and was described as a game-time determination with a rib damage.

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 extra time.

It’s unclear what prompted Hart’s response, and the Knicks closed the locker room after the sport earlier than he might communicate.