Mikal Bridges erupts for 31 points as Knicks rout depleted Pelicans

For the second straight game, Mikal Bridges spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench.

This time, however, the fact he was not on the floor was no reflection on his poor play.    

Instead, Bridges left the court three minutes into the final period after scoring a season-high 31 points to help lead the Knicks to a 118-85 win over the injury-decimated New Orleans Pelicans Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

The loss was the eighth straight for the Pelicans, who set the ugly tone of the game by scoring just 28 points in the first half. According to Elias Sports Bureau, 28 points was the lowest total by a Knicks opponent in a first half since Golden State scored just 25 in a Nov. 20, 2001 game.

“It was just my teammates and coaches picking me up and telling me to stay confident,” said Bridges, who was 12-for-19 overall and 7-for-12 from three-point range. “My teammates just found me.”

Bridges scored 19 of his points in the first half and also helped set the tone early with his defense. Jalen Brunson, who had 16 points and dished out nine assists, said the big game from Bridges was “much needed.”

“The way he was playing, he was confident and it was flowing. I love to see it,” Brunson said. “I was just reading the defense. When you leave someone open, the ball is bound to go in at some point. And once one goes in for him, the floodgates open. I’ve seen it before and I’m not too worried about him.”

The loss was the eighth straight for the Pelicans. The Knicks (12-8) have won seven of their last nine games.

Karl-Anthony Towns grabbed 19 rebounds and scored 14 points. CJ McCollum and Brandon Boston Jr. were the high scorers for New Orleans with 13 points apiece.

New Orleans was playing without Jose Alvarado, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jordan Hawkins and Herb Jones — five of its top eight players. The Knicks showed on their recent road trip, however, that they are capable of playing poorly against teams missing their top players.

On Wednesday, Dallas rolled past the Knicks, 129-114, despite the absence of Luka Doncic who was out with a wrist injury. Then, on Friday, the Knicks needed 31 points from Jalen Brunson, including his two free throws with eight seconds left, in order to get past a Charlotte team that was playing without three of its starters, including LaMelo Ball.

Bridges was benched for most of that fourth quarter in favor of Deuce McBride. Bridges entered Sunday’s game averaging 15.5 points per game, more than four points less than he did last season. He also was shooting a career-low 30.6% from beyond the arc.

Expectations were high for Bridges after the Knicks traded four unprotected first-round picks and a protected pick to the Nets for the shooter who played alongside Brunson and Josh Hart at Villanova. The Knicks, who also added Towns, were predicted by many to contend with Boston for the best record in the East.

Bridges' shooting struggles have been increasingly blamed for the Knicks’ less-than-dominating start this season. When he didn’t play during crunch time in Charlotte, several of Bridges' teammates spoke out in support of their shooter saying that it was only natural for him to take some time to adjust to a new role where he was no longer the top scoring option as he had been with the Nets.

Hart was clearly happy to see Bridges have a big game.

“We knew he had the confidence and our job was to continue to find him when he was open and today he was great for us on both ends of the ball. He had great energy at the point of attack and as a defender. And made his shots.

“That’s our guy. We trust him. We trust him to shoot the shots. Midranges, turnarounds. We want him to be aggressive. That’s the Mikal we know.”

By Barbara Barker

barbara.barker@newsday.commeanbarb

Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.