PHILADELPHIA — Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges had a homecoming of sorts when he returned to Wells Fargo Center to face his hometown Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. While Bridges is from the Philadelphia area and was almost a 76er at the start of his career, since he is playing for the opponent, the fans welcomed him with boos. Even though it was good for Bridges to come home, all he wanted was something simple.
“I’m just more about trying to win,” Bridges said after scoring 30 points in Saturday’s 121-101 Game 1 loss to the 76ers. He ended the regular season having scored 30 points in 11 of his 27 games with Brooklyn. After Saturday’s loss, Bridges has now has had as many 30-point games as a Net (1) in the playoffs as he did in 35 such games during his time with the Phoenix Suns. “So, I think just got to rebound better and, you know, I think we had a lot of turnovers so just try to be together as a team and win,” Bridges continued.
The former Villanova Wildcat had 23 points in the first half on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, but he had just seven points after the half as he shot the ball just twice. The game started to get away from Brooklyn in the fourth quarter as Philadelphia turned a 12-point third quarter lead into a 18-point lead with five minutes left in the fourth. “It’s tough but it’s a series so we just got to watch film, get better, and do whatever we have to do to get ready for the next game. But, just learning right now, which I think we’ll be okay, just gonna get ready for next one,” Bridges explained.
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