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DETROIT — Mikal Bridges said it best himself. He didn’t sugarcoat how he was playing.
“I was playing pretty s—ty in the first half and the first three quarters,” he said.
Through three quarters, Bridges had just two points on woeful 1-for-10 shooting from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range.
It looked like his all-around performance in Game 3 was going to turn into an all-around nightmare in Game 4.
But then he hit two critical 3-pointers late in the Knicks’ 94-93 Game 4 win over the Pistons on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
Both came during an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter that brought the Knicks from down 11 points to down three points.
His first cut the Knicks deficit to 79-71 with 8:07 left in the game and his second cut it to 79-76 with 6:34 left. He finished with eight points.
“I think it goes to my teammates, just keeping me locked in,” Bridges said. “I know I’m fine and I know it’s gonna come, but they just kept telling me ‘keep shooting it.’ They keep giving me confidence to go out there. Just try to be aggressive, try to make the right play, make the shot.”
One teammate in particular was loudest in supporting Bridges.
“I think the biggest is Cam Payne,” Bridges said. “He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps as well. It just feeds off that. But it’s everybody, man. Like, [Tyler Kolek], I swear it’s everybody. Even Josh [Hart], [Jalen Brunson]. When we’re on the court, they just tell me to stick with it.
“I know I’m ready. It’s not fun missing and you wait for that next opportunity to shoot again. I appreciate those guys, always.”
Payne has done little on the court since he erupted in Game 1. But clearly, he’s still finding a way to make an impact. He joked that his comments to Bridges were not PG.
“Today was a little bit more [talking], just because some of his shots were going in and out,” Payne said. “They were good looks and he normally makes them. Tonight I was a little bit more aggressive on him.”
Despite his early shooting woes, Bridges was strong defensively throughout the game.
And he was key on that side of the ball down the stretch — with the Knicks up by the final score and under a minute left in the game, Bridges stood up Cade Cunningham, which allowed Hart to strip him for a crucial turnover.
“I think for the entire season, it’s been a steady climb for him,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of Bridges’ defense. “He’s always had that ability. He’s always been a very good defensive player. He’s got great length and anticipation and he knows how to challenge a shot. He can be very disruptive. He can get to the second and third effort. And, when you have long limbs like that, it makes the defense a lot better. I think that is what’s causing a lot of turnovers.”
