Knicks, Pelicans: “Bridges breakout game???”
The New Orleans Pelicans (4-17) entered Madison Square Garden on a seven-game losing streak, short-handed and struggling. A Knicks (12-8) victory was expected. Abject humiliation was not. New York smothered the Pelicans with defense, allowing just 28 first-half points—their lowest total allowed this season—as Mikal Bridges shone with 16 points and a +30 plus-minus. Karl-Anthony Towns dominated the boards with 17 rebounds by halftime, helping the Knicks build a 57-28 lead. Though the Pelicans matched their first-half output in the third quarter, the Knicks extended their lead to 41 before the reserves closed out a 118-85 victory. Bridges had his best game of the season, scoring 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including a career-high-tying seven three-pointers, and logging a +40 plus-minus. Jalen Brunson added 16 points in 26 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns posted a 14-point, 19-rebound double-double, and OG Anunoby anchored the defense with four blocks and three steals. Josh Hart contributed across the board, and the bench trio of Miles McBride, Cam Payne, and Jericho Sims combined for 25 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 5-of-8 from deep. For the Pelicans, CJ McCollum led with 13 points, while their starters totaled just 50. First Half The recently maligned Bridges opened the scoring tonight. The Pelicans struggled mightily, missing 16 of their first 17 shots and scoring just four points in the opening ten minutes. Some credit goes to the Knicks’ stout defense and some to poor shooting. Meanwhile, Bridges shone, tallying 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first quarter. The Knicks never relented, hitting six of 13 three-pointers to close the frame with an authoritative 33-10 lead. The second quarter continued the trend: the Knicks shot hot, the Pelicans did not. Bridges drained his fourth three-pointer—matching his season-high for a game—and Miles McBride nailed all three attempts behind the arc. Karl-Anthony Towns grumbled about non-calls but had already hauled in 11 rebounds with eight minutes left in the half. The Knicks’ lead swelled to 28 before the visitors started pecking back. Their resistance was futile. New York’s defense looked stellar against the overmatched Pelicans—especially OG Anunoby, who recorded three blocks and a steal in the first half. Maestro, show us how it’s done: Even New York’s bench got in on the fun. McBride contributed 11 first-half points, Cam Payne delivered smart playmaking, and Jericho Sims grabbed four rebounds while bringing energy against the smaller Pelicans. When the dust settled, the Knicks had allowed season-lows for points in the first and second quarters—and the half. At intermission, New York led 57-28. Calling the Knicks’ performance ‘dominant’ is an understatement. They outshot New Orleans 42% to 26% from the field. The Pelicans managed just 2-of-20 from three-point range, with no player reaching double digits in scoring. For our heroes, Bridges led with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and boasted a team-high +30 plus-minus. Nice bounce-back game for Mikal so far! Karl-Anthony Towns struggled offensively, missing seven of eight shots, but he grabbed 17 rebounds—nearly matching the Pelicans’ 21 as a team. Would he keep up this pace and break his career-high of 27 rebounds (Jan. 12, 2019)? Second Half In the third quarter, Mikal swished his season-high fifth and sixth three-pointers on his way to a new season-high, and Kat finally saw one fall: https://bsky.app/profile/ny-knicks.bsky.social/post/3lcbuoe5mvs2q Led by Dejounte Murray, NOLA showed more energy after the break and would score 28 in the quarter (their total of points for the first half). Willie Green’s team had no answer for New York’s great ball movement, however, nor their bullying on the boards. With New York out-rebounding the visitors by 12 so far, they held a very comfortable lead of 93-56. hOOOOPer! @karltowns— NEW YORK KNICKS (@ny-knicks.bsky.social) 2024-12-02T00:40:04.295Z To start the fourth, Bridges tied his career-high with a seventh triple. With the Knicks up by 41, Tom Thibodeau did the unthinkable: he emptied his bench with nine minutes left in the game. A lineup of Payne, McBride, Matt Ryan, Ariel Hukporti, and Sims kept the Birds at bay for a bit, and when the crowd chanted to Tyler Kolek, a unusually charitable Thibs acquiesced, sending in the rookie with 6:30 left. Charles Dickens would approve. Matt Ryan swished two triples in garbagh time, and Jacob Toppin got some cardio, too. It’s a fun day at the Garden when everyone gets a turn. Knicks win! whole lot of hoopin' and oopin' tonight — NEW YORK KNICKS (@ny-knicks.bsky.social) 2024-12-02T01:19:13.907Z Notes The Knicks set a new season-best for first-quarter defense tonight, allowing just 10 points (previous best was 13: Pistons, November 1). Then they set a season-best for the second quarter, allowing 18 (previously 21: Pacers, October 25). Furthermore, they set a season-best for first-half points allowed, with 28 (previously, 45: Cleveland and Indiana, both in October). NOLA averages 103.8 points per game, the worst in the league. Josh Hart (2019-22) played three seasons with the Pelicans, appearing in 153 games and averaging 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists a game. Hart and Brandon Ingram were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the 2017-19 seasons. Furthermore, Hart and Pelicans G CJ McCollum were teammates in Portland for the 2021-22 season. The Knicks commit the NBA’s third-fewest turnovers per game, 12.4. They gave up the ball 21 times on Friday in Charlotte. Tonight they did it 17 times. There was discussion this weekend about the team doing a better job of getting Bridges into the offense. Their mandate was clear tonight, with Mikal taking a season-high of 19 field goal attempts. Up Next The Orlando Magic visit on Tuesday for a game to decide which of the two teams advanced to the playoff stage of the NBA Cup. Rest up, Knickerbockers. Box Score
Feedback