The New York Knicks were on the road Wednesday night to face the Portland Trail Blazers. It was their first of two meetings this season with Portland.
After a rare inbounds violation on Josh Hart, the Knicks found themselves down 113-111. With Jalen Brunson out, the Knicks needed someone to step up. Head coach Tom Thibodeau drew up a play for SF Mikal Bridges. He got a clean look from deep and hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired. New York won the game 114-113.
Mikal Bridges hit a game-winning three-pointer for the Knicks on Wednesday
MIKAL BRIDGES FROM THE TOP OF THE KEY. BULLSEYE 🎯🎯
CLUTCH TRIPLE TO WIN IT FOR NEW YORK!!#TissotBuzzerBeater #YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/KkiwXSrx76
— NBA (@NBA) March 13, 2025
Ahead of New York’s matchup on Wednesday, Mikal Bridges made public comments asking his head coach to play his starters fewer minutes. Four of New York’s five starters are in the top 20 for average minutes per game this season. Three of them are in the top six. In 2024-25, Mikal Bridges averages a career-high (37.8) minutes per game. That is second in the NBA only to his Knicks teammate Josh Hart.
New York went into OT on Wednesday vs. the Trail Blazers and Bridges played 41 minutes for the Knicks. He finished with a game-high 33 points and the game-winning three-pointer. Bridges was 13-21 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc. For the 2024-25 season, Bridges is averaging (17.2) points per game. With Brooklyn, Bridges averaged (21.2) points per game. As a member of the Knicks, they do not rely on his offensive output to carry the team.
Bridges is a streaky scorer in the NBA but he can be clutch in massive moments like we saw on Wednesday. There was no hesitation from Bridges to take the game-winning shot. New York could have tried to tie the game at 113-113 with a two-pointer. Instead, the team drew up a three-point play and won the game. New York is 42-23 this season, third in the Eastern Conference with 17 games left to play.
