Bridges Repaired

Confidence is a helluva drug.

Final Score: Knicks 118 - Pelicans 85
Record: 12-8

It's been cold and windy in New York the past couple of days, but that breeze you felt around 8:00 pm EST last night was a collective exhale from Knicks players and coaches and the nearly 20,000 fans inside MSG breathing a big sigh of relief as they watched Mikal Bridges bust out of his slump in a big way.

After bricking jumper after jumper, which eventually led to a fourth-quarter benching Friday in Charlotte, Bridges told reporters, "I got to play better."

And in his first chance to do so, Bridges did just that, exploding for a season-high 31 points Sunday night in a blowout victory over an injury-ravaged Pelicans squad. Bridges scored the first bucket of the game and never cooled off. He outscored the entire Pelicans team (13-10) in the first quarter, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, he had converted 12 of his 19 FG attempts. Notably, Bridges knocked down a career-high-tying seven three-pointers.

By the second quarter, he was firing away without hesitation, clearly invigorated by his hot start. He was also more energized and engaged on the defensive end, fighting through screens and streaking into passing lanes. Bridges had four deflections in the contest (second most among all players, behind only OG Anunoby).

The shift in body language was unmistakable. Bridges' smile widened as each successive three-pointer went down. He was playing with joy. For at least one night, the immense pressure had lifted.