Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges has been balling out ever since he was traded to the Nets at the NBA trade deadline. Regarded as one of the better wing defenders in the league, Bridges has shown in just a short amount of time that he can put the ball in the basket as well.
In Friday’s 115-105 win over the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn came back from a 28-point deficit to win by 10 points, Bridges had 38 points and four assists while playing solid defense on the likes of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. After Friday’s performance, Bridges has now scored at least 30 points in three of Brooklyn’s past six games.
What helped the Nets come back from such a deficit to create a 38-point swing was the team’s ability to play defense. Despite a rough first quarter, the Nets held the Celtics to 48.8% from the field and 30% from three-point land. During his postgame press conference, Bridges spoke in detail about how the team’s defense played a key role in the comeback:
“Just defensively. Playing together. We were getting stops so once we were getting stops, we were getting out in transition. Scoring. So, I think we kind of realized (in a) couple games, that offense really wasn’t our problem. In the beginning, we had to switch our offense up a little bit, see our space and everything, but I feel like our offense is pretty good. But, this defense, we got stops and we just stayed together. Possession by possession. We can’t get it all back in one play. So we just kept fighting, just stayed together.”
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