Mikal Bridges struggled to contain Trae Young most of the night. But he shut him down when it mattered most.
Young scored 38 points and dished 19 assists in the Knicks’ 149-148 win over the Hawks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, helping lead a wild Atlanta comeback in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
After Jalen Brunson drilled a jumper to put the Knicks ahead by the final score with 11 seconds left in overtime, Young threatened to break the Knicks’ hearts once again.
But Bridges blocked Young’s floater, and despite 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 said 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 points.
“Just everybody helping each other trying to win the game,” Bridges said of the final stop. “He’s made it difficult for everybody.”
secure an overtime win over the Hawks. Jason Szenes for New York Post
The wait for OG Anunoby’s return will continue until at least after the All-Star break.
He missed Wednesday’s win, the fifth straight game he’s been out since suffering a non-contact foot sprain during the team’s loss to the Lakers on Feb. 1.
The Knicks listed him as questionable for the game — the same designation he had for Tuesday’s win over the Pacers — and Thibodeau said he was a game-time decision, but Anunoby did not suit up.
He did not warm up on the court prior to the game, so he seemingly wasn’t that close.
It wouldn’t have made much sense to rush Anunoby back for Wednesday’s clash, the Knicks’ last before the break.
Instead, he’ll have another week to recover before the Knicks’ next game, against the Bulls, on Feb. 20.
“It’s day-to-day,” Thibodeau said before Wednesday’s game. “It’s tolerance. Working out, see how he feels the next day, how he responds, so that’s where we are.”
Miles McBride was also listed as questionable and was described as a game-time decision with a rib injury.
He played, but exited the game early with a rib contusion.
Hart pointed his finger right in Niang’s face after the latter missed the potential game-winning shot as time expired in overtime.
It’s unclear what prompted Hart’s reaction, and the Knicks closed the locker room after the game before he could speak.
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