Merry Knicksmas - A Mikal Miracle on 33rd & 8th

Wemby did all he could to steal Christmas, but Mikal wasn't having it

Final Score: Knicks 117-114
Record: 20-10

After each of the Knicks' past two wins, we've discussed how different players have carried the club. Jalen Brunson poured in a season-high 39 points to bury the Pelicans over the weekend. Then Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby scored 31 points apiece in a blowout victory vs. the Raptors on Monday.

In an unforgettable Christmas matinee on Wednesday, the Knicks needed a different stud to step up and hold off the Spurs and their young superstar, Victor Wembanyama. Characterizing Wemby as "The Grinch" trying to steal Christmas doesn't seem sinister enough. He was far more destructive, like a baby Godzilla attempting to destroy Manhattan.

But in the end, it wasn't enough for San Antonio, as Mikal Bridges authored his first "Garden Moment," going shot for shot with Wembanyama. We'll highlight the other key components of this Knicks victory - including the combo of Precious Achiuwa and OG doing just enough to slow down Wemby in crunch time and Josh Hart sealing the deal by being a demon on the offensive boards in the final minute - but Bridges deserves the first slice of Christmas ham.

The distance between Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden is only 5.6 miles as the crow flies, but the two buildings are worlds apart. When Bridges took the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan, he arrived with a lot of fanfare and plenty of pressure, as the Knicks gave up a ton of draft capital to cover the cost of the fare.

Adjusting to new teammates, expectations and responsibilities clearly took a toll on Bridges. Being mired in a nasty shooting slump didn't help, and the situation bottomed out in late November.

However, he has been a new man in December. After being benched in the fourth quarter during a victory over the Hornets the day after Thanksgiving, Bridges has been a beast.

"I'll be better," Bridges vowed while facing the music and talking to reporters inside the visitors' locker room that November night in Charlotte.

He's been true to his word, playing some of the best basketball of his career this month.

And in his first Christmas Day game as a member of the Knicks, Bridges was brilliant, finishing with a season-high 41 points (17-of-25 FGs), one rebound, four assists, two steals, two blocks and six 3-pointers.

He is the first player in Knicks franchise history to score more than 40 points, knock down more than five three-pointers and tally at least two steals and two blocks in a single game. Yet, somehow, the numbers don't convey just how extraordinary of a performance it was.

Brunson couldn't get going vs. San Antonio, shooting just 7-of-23 from the floor. KAT was in foul trouble most of the contest, couldn't keep Wemby in check, and finished with 21 points and nine boards (the first time in 19 games he's failed to record a double-double). OG scored eight points on 10 FG attempts.

So, with the team's leading scorers unable to generate offense, Knicks fans turned their looney eyes to Bridges, hoping he could somehow save Christmas. Like Santa, Bridges delivered repeatedly—the crowd's energy inside the Garden cresting with each made bucket.

Last season, before the Knicks consummated the blockbuster trade with Brooklyn, Hart and Brunson would often tease/poke/prod their former Wildcat teammate on social media, joking that he needed to cross the river and experience how special it is to play for the Knicks.

When Bridges envisioned what it might feel like to enjoy a breakout game at MSG wearing "New York" on his chest, I imagine the exuberance he experienced amid a 41-point masterpiece carrying the Knicks to a Christmas victory was what he had hoped for.

"It was special," Towns said after the game. "He was special. He picked a hell of a day to do it."

After that low point vs. the Hornets last month, all of Bridges' teammates were vociferous in their defense of Mikal, but none more so than Hart, whose playing days with Bridges date back to a Villanova title team.

"I'm not worried about Mikal," Hart told reporters last month. "I think the media and people are killing him. He's in a new situation. He's in a situation where he's played 19 games in a different role than he's played in the last four years. So it's our job to get him going. And all the other BS about what we gave up, it means nothing. If we win, if we get a championship, ain't nobody give a damn about how many picks we gave up… We need to continue to build him up."

After Bridges' offensive explosion on Wednesday, Hart wanted to ensure the doubters saved room to eat some crow for dessert. "That's my brother; I know what he can do. I know his mindset. People have to realize that not one player in this league plays a great game for all 82 games," Hart said. "There are peaks and valleys in this league. There are going to be high points and low points, which is why you always try to stay even-keeled. He's a guy who did that. He puts the work in, and when you see a guy put the work in, you know what he's capable of, the character has. We knew it would just be a matter of time."

"He's found it, and now y'all aren't saying nothing. Get your damn apology forms out. I'll be collecting them next game. Let the flowers be as loud as the hate."

And it's not as though this was a one-game anomaly.

Through the 11 games the Knicks have played in December, Bridges is averaging 22.7 points, 3.5 assists (vs. 1.6 turnovers), 1.2 steals and 3.5 made three-pointers while shooting a stunning 57.7% from the field and 46.9% from downtown.

Bridges has said he and the team anticipated his role in New York as a hybrid between being tasked with being "The Man" in Brooklyn and his days as a limited role player in Phoenix. Mikal is successfully striking that balance of late.

Bridges is one of only five players to score 250+ points this month. The other four are Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey and Victor Wembanyama. Of these five, Bridges has the highest FG% and 3PT%. Not bad for a guy who - as we were told last month - can't shoot and forgot how to play basketball.

Here's Mikal's updated stats/ranks in December:

• +158 (highest plus/minus in the NBA)

• 69% True Shooting percentage (highest in the NBA - minimum 100 FGA)

• 8 left-corner three-pointers (most in the NBA)

• 15 right-corner three-pointers (most in the NBA)

• 439 minutes (most in the NBA)

Seems pretty good (especially considering you could make a legitimate argument that Bridges has been the Knicks 5th best player this season).

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 The Knicks overall balance this season has been remarkable. They've had five different leading scorers in their past six games.

New York is the only team in the NBA with four players who have already scored more than 500 points this season.

Their fifth starter, Josh Hart (the heart and soul of the squad), leads the team in FG% and ranks second in rebounds and assists. Hart is one of only four players in the NBA this season averaging over 8+ boards, 5+ dimes and shooting north of 55% from the field (the other three are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Jokic).

Gee, it's almost as if Leon Rose and company had a plan, huh?

🏀 That balance has led to success, as the Knicks lead the NBA in wins (15), Offensive Efficiency (121.2) and AST-to-TO ratio (2.19) dating back to mid-November.

For those who want to take a peek at the standings, New York is now just two games behind Boston.

Here's a comparison between the two clubs since the end of October:

Knicks:
19-8 record
120.4 OffRtg
+8.4 Net Rating

Celtics:
18-8 record
117.7 OffRtg
+8.2 Net Rating

🏀 Circling back to Wednesday's win, we must shout out Precious Achiuwa. When KAT picked up his fifth foul halfway through the final quarter, I'm sure some fans felt the Knicks were doomed. New York was trailing by five points with less than six minutes remaining, and Towns was sitting on the bench.

However, Achiuwa stepped in and stepped up. He helped slow down Wemby, limiting the Spurs center to just four points on the 11 possessions in which he was matched up as the primary defender. Achiuwa finished the contest with five points and 10 boards in 20 minutes. He was a team-high +14.

OG also switched on to Wemby several times in San Antonio's final few possessions and made life difficult for the 7'4 monster. Wembanyama's stat line was insane (42 points, 18 rebounds, six treys and four blocks), but New York held him scoreless over the final seven minutes and 45 seconds of regulation. "That's just OG, man," Bridges said after the game. "Any size, any guy, he can guard from a point guard to the tallest dude in the NBA."

🏀 And, as was noted above, Josh Hart (as only he can) won the game in the final minute with effort, guile, and heart.

Chris Paul sank a three-pointer with 42 seconds left to make it a one-possession game, 117-114. If the Spurs got a stop, they'd have an opportunity to send the game to overtime. However, they never got that chance. The Knicks failed to score, but Hart tracked down two offensive boards to prevent San Antonio from even getting an opportunity to tie the score.

If someone ever asks you how a player can win a game without taking a shot - let alone scoring a bucket - show them this clip of Josh Hart hunting down back-breaking offensive rebounds:

"That possession is the definition of my job and why I'm here," Hart said. "To make those energy, extra effort plays."

It's impossible not to love that dude if you're a Kicks fan.

🏀 New York only won the rebounding battle by two (47-45) but had nine more offensive boards than the Spurs on Wednesday. "The offensive rebounding was huge. Made a big difference in the game," Thibodeau said. "We had 100 shots, they had 83."

🏀 Cam Payne appeared to injure his left leg in a collision near midcourt early in the second quarter. He checked out a few moments later and never checked back in. Thibs didn't provide an update after the contest, so we'll have to wait for the injury report to be released on Thursday evening. If Payne is unable to play on Friday, we'll likely finally see some extended minutes from Tyler Kolek, although Thibs could opt to play Landry Shamet and have Deuce bring the ball up the floor for the second unit. (Thibs could also do something crazy - like play ten guys!)... McBride only hit two shots vs. San Antonio, but both were momentum-shifting three-pointers.

🏀 KAT has to do a better job of staying out of foul trouble. He's picked up at least five fouls in three straight games and is averaging 4.0 personal fouls per game over the last month. Towns is the only player in the NBA with more than 100 fouls this season.

🏀 Per the Statitudes Substack, Wemby and Bridges are just the third pair of opposing players to each score 40+ points in a Christmas Day game. The others in this club are Oscar Robertson & Elgin Baylor (1961) and Wilt Chamberlain & Richie Guerin (1961).

🏀 After waiving Matt Ryan last week to make room for Landry Shamet, the Knicks re-signed him to a two-way contract on Tuesday. To make room for Ryan, New York waived Boo Buie. Ryan will be eligible to appear in up to 32 more games this season (a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit).

🏀 Next Up:
Knicks vs. Orlando on Friday night (7:00 pm tip)

The Magic were already playing without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs last Saturday vs. Miami. Then Mo Wagner, the team's best bench player, tore his ACL in the second quarter. And at the start of the fourth quarter, Orlando trailed by 22 points. So, no one would blame them if they felt sorry for themselves and let go of the rope.

Instead, the Magic mounted the biggest comeback in franchise history, outscoring the Heat 37-8 in the fourth quarter and, incredibly, notching a seven-point victory.

Two days later, Orlando was down by 15 points to the Celtics at halftime, only to pull off another shocking victory by beating Boston 108-104.

Yes, the Magic are shorthanded, but they are damn sure dangerous.