Mikal Bridges on Knicks defense vs. Thunder: 'Very boo-worthy'

The Thunder, which entered the night with the NBA’s best defensive rating, suffocated offensive possessions and forced the Knicks to shoot just 38.5 percent from the field. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (39 points) looked like an MVP hopeful, but the Knicks made Isaiah Joe — averaging 8.1 points — look like he belonged in the conversation, too, after a 31-point eruption.  “I get it,” Bridges said of the booing. “The missing shots, that’s something you really can’t control. Just keep making them, keep getting them up. But … defensively, a lot of miscues, lack of communication, which is very boo-worthy.” 

Source: New York Post

More on this storyline

To get the sophomore to practice the way he played in games, Villanova and former Knicks teammate Ryan Arcidiacono told The Athletic that coaches would have to intentionally push Hart’s buttons. Wildcats assistant coach Ashley Howard said the staff “would have to talk trash” to Hart in order to get him engaged. Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright would challenge him separately in ways that “you can’t say in an interview.” Bridges started his college career on the scout team and would be matched up against Hart. He ended up being the target of Hart’s aggressive energy directed toward the coaches. “Josh use to terrorize Mikal early on,” Howard told The Athletic. “Mikal wasn’t physically where he eventually got, and Josh is Josh.” -via New York Times / January 1, 2025

Adam Zagoria: "He keeps getting better and better and better. It’s hard to put him in a box. There’s so many intangible that he brings to the team…and so it’s creating big advantages for us." Tom Thibodeau on Mikal Bridges -via Twitter @AdamZagoria / December 25, 2024

Tim Reynolds: First time since 1961 that two players have had 40 in the same Christmas game: -- Victor Wembanyama and Mikal Bridges, 2024 -- Wilt Chamberlain and Richie Guerin, 1961 -- Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robertson, 1961 -via Twitter @ByTimReynolds / December 25, 2024

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Mikal Bridges on Knicks defense vs. Thunder: 'Very boo-worthy'