Mikal Bridges once again found himself on the bench during a fourth-quarter comeback victory, marking the second time in three games he was sidelined for much of the latter half. He finished Monday's 103-90 win with only six points in 16 minutes.
Head coach Mike Brown stated that Bridges should focus on the positives of his performance, particularly his strong running game. "He's just got to keep playing. Everybody goes through those ups and downs throughout the season," Brown said. "And obviously, it's the beginning of the season, so he has to find his way. With everybody, when you're in a funk, you got to find one or two things to hold your hat on, and Mikal is one of the best runners in the game, in both directions, offensively and defensively. So he has to hold his hat on that as well as his cutting and trying to do that and other little things: rebounding, driving and touching the paint and spraying it. And his shot will come eventually."
Bridges was an offensive focus early in the game and took his first free throws of the season, but his shooting remained inconsistent. After playing the initial three minutes of the third quarter, he was benched for the remainder of the second half, with Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson seeing significant playing time. This situation echoed Friday's game against the Bulls, where Bridges played only 13 minutes. He is currently averaging just over six points per game for the season.
In other team news, Tyler Kolek returned to his role as third-stringer after missing four games with a sprained ankle. Jose Alvarado was activated Monday and resumed his position as Jalen Brunson's first backup. However, when the Knicks' offense struggled, Brown turned to Kolek to start the fourth quarter, a decision that contributed to the team's eventual victory. Brown reiterated his policy of not penalizing players for injuries. "I try not to take a guy out [of his rotation spot] due to injury and the reality is Jose got hurt," Brown said.
On Monday, Alvarado registered no points and zero assists in eight minutes, while Kolek contributed two points and an assist in five minutes.