Knicks' Mikal Bridges reveals Nikola Vucevic's mistake in game-saving play
Yesterday at 01:36 AM
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges detailed what went wrong for Bulls center Nikola Vucevic in the game-saving play on Thursday. The Eastern Conference heavyweight picked up its first win of the season against a lowly Chicago team in a 113-111 overtime thriller. New York is now 37-18 after its gritty win, with stars OG Anunoby and Josh Hart both unavailable.
While the game was largely back-and-forth, it looked like the underdog Bulls would pull the upset on the last play of regulation. Chicago head coach Billy Donovan drew up a great out-of-bounds play with two seconds left, where Nikola Vucevic had a one-on-one matchup with Bridges in the paint.
The Knicks wing surprised everyone in this supposed mismatch with a stunning block on the elite scoring center, getting the game to OT, where New York won in a nail-biter. Bridges explained in the postgame interview what Vucevic did wrong on this play to seal the deal for the Bulls.
“Try to be aggressive, not foul him, not let him score. I think he helped me out by using his right hand”
–– Mikal Bridges to Bill Pidto on his game-saving block of Nikola Vucevic that sent the game to overtime pic.twitter.com/zwdeqBBowl
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 21, 2025
The Knicks picked up a big win ahead of a few monumental games on their schedule
As of tonight, New York is five and a half games in front of the No. 4-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are also two and a half games behind the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics. Head coach Tom Thibodeau’s team does have one of the tougher schedules to close the season, but that fact gives this squad more opportunities to prove itself against the elite of the NBA.
In particular, New York will visit Cleveland and Boston these next few days. The Knicks are currently o-3 against the top two seeds in the East, with both losses to the defending champs being non-competitive. Tom Thibodeau’s team lost earlier in the season to the Cavs in a close one at home. Cleveland is, however, a more formidable team than earlier in the season with its recent trade for DeAndre Hunter.
Overall, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and company will continue to be doubted until they beat teams like the Cavs and Celtics. While technically, this team does not need to beat these squads until the postseason, winning either would be an encouraging sign to the public.
However, it is important to note there is a solid chance that New York will still not be at full strength in these upcoming clashes. OG Anunoby and Josh Hart are dealing with injuries, and Mitchell Robinson is still rehabbing from ankle surgery.
That said, this group has enough talent to compete with either of these teams, even when injured. The Knicks have built themselves over the past few years as a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference. It’s time to take that next step.
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