Jalen Brunson shows love to Mikal Bridges following game two against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The New York Knicks managed to fight back and hold in game two against the Philadelphia 76ers, walking away with a 108-102 victory.
Despite missing former MVP Joel Embiid, the 76ers looked fresher and faster in game than they did in game one, where they lost by 39. The Sixers jumped out to a 33-31 lead after the first quarter, and held a one-point lead at halftime and going into the fourth quarter.
The game featured 25 lead changes and 14 ties. Neither team led by more than seven points during the course of the contest.
The Knicks lock thing down in the fourth quarter, holding the Sixers to just 12 points.
The Impact of Mikal Bridges
After struggling throughout the first round series against the Atlanta Hawks, averaging just ten points, two rebounds, and 1.7 assists, Mikal Bridges started to find his footing beginning in game six against the Hawks where he scored 24 points in the rout.
That confidence has carried over to the second round, where is averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 69% shooting and 42% from three.
In a defensive battle throughout the fourth quarter, Bridges hit what turned out to be the dagger with three minutes remaining, a quick stepback to put the Knicks up 105-99.
Speaking after the game, Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson was asked about the bounce back performances from Bridges.
"For him, what's been the most consistent is his routine every day, doing the things he has to do to make sure he's ready to go, so when the ball does go in it's not a surprise. He works at it, that's what he does. On the defensive side, he's making things tough," said Brunson.
Bridges On Maxey
In game one, Bridges spent only five minutes guarding Maxey, but the quick and shifty Sixers guard had no space to operate, shooting 0-2 from the field and generating just one assist compared to three turnovers.
Maxey, like everyone on Philly, struggled in game one overall, finishing with 13 points, on 3-9 shooting and 0-3 from three.
The struggles continued for Maxey in game two, who needed to be even better with Embiid out of the lineup. Maxey scored 26 points, but shot 9-23 from the field, 1-6 from three, and had six assists to six turnovers.
If the Knicks want to advance to their second straight conference finals, they'll need Bridges to keep up this form on both ends of the floor, especially with OG Anunoby potentially missing games.