Nets’ Mikal Bridges receives comparison from Knicks’ Josh Hart

After Saturday’s 105-93 loss at the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges received a comparison from Knicks forward Josh Hart.

Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges has been through a lot over the past year as he went from a successful team in the Phoenix Suns to a Nets team that is in transition to put it mildly. Brooklyn is still trying to find its way back to being a contender, but things right now are rough for everyone.

The Nets lost 105-93 at the New York Knicks on Saturday and aside from the fact that the Knicks have won all three matchups between the teams this season, the fashion in which those victories are happening is what is important. Bridges spoke on how disappointing it was to see the crowd at Barclays Center being mostly a Knicks crowd while New York dominated them in their building.

To make matters worse, Bridges could be taking losses against the Knicks harder because of his personal relationships with New York’s Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo that date back to their days at Villanova University. Add to the fact that Brooklyn has not been very good recently and at this moment, it looks like they will be missing the postseason entirely.

One thing that has been evident for those that have watched the Nets and Knicks play this season is Brooklyn looks like they are not having any fun while New York appears to be having all the fun. So much so that Hart gave his take on the situation that Bridges finds himself in right now per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News:

“It’s like that SpongeBob meme when Squidward is looking out the window and he sees SpongeBob and Patrick having fun. [Mikal] is Squidward.”

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges discusses breaking out of recent shooting slump

After Thursday’s 122-115 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges spoke on how his recent slump has affected him.

Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges has been an interesting player for the Nets as he is in a spot of having to be one of the top scoring options on a nightly basis. That position has Bridges in the crosshairs of opposing defenses and as such, he has had some extended shooting slumps as he learns to navigate that part of his development.

Bridges put up 24 points and six rebounds in Thursday’s 115-108 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks and that scoring outburst was the first time that he scored more than 17 points since Mar. 13. Also, it was the first time that Bridges shot better than 38.5% from the field so he has had quite the struggle with his shot in the meantime.

To be more specific, Bridges’ also has been with shooting the ball inside the three-point arc than outside of it. After Thursday’s loss at the Bucks, Bridges is shooting just 39.2% from the field and 43.5% from deep. It seems that he is struggling with his mid-range game and isn’t getting many free-throws to stabilize his scoring over time.

One thing that served Bridges well against the Bucks was the fact that Cam Thomas appeared to be the focus point of their defensive gameplan, allowing Bridges to get easier shots until he found his shooting touch. Bridges spoke after the loss about the slump that he’s now coming out of:

“My shot been feeling good for a long time and even a couple slumps where I was missing a lot, I was feeling so good so that’s why it was frustrating because in practice and shootaround, my jump shots feel really good. So, just try to keep defense honest. Make them have to guard you even closer so then you could have an advantage to attack them.”

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges discusses team’s biggest challenge moving forward

After Sunday’s 120-101 win at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges discussed the team’s biggest challenge currently.

The Brooklyn Nets have been through plenty of trying times and situations this season as they try to navigate their way through this transition period for their franchise. At this point of the season, Brooklyn is focused on trying to make up enough ground to get into the Eastern Conference play-in tournament before time runs out.

The Nets did a good job of winning an important game for their playoff hopes as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday 120-101 despite being a significant underdog heading into the contest. The Cavaliers were missing Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for the game, but that didn’t stop Brooklyn from underestimating Cleveland with their season on the line.

After some disappointing losses to some of the worst teams in the NBA over the past week, it looked like the Nets’ season was on its last leg. Now that they took care of business at the Cavaliers, it seems like they have some breathing room.

One factor that stood out in Sunday’s win was the fact that Brooklyn was effective on both ends of the floor instead of just being good on one end. Nets guard Mikal Bridges, who put up 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals, discussed how the team’s biggest challenge is playing defense when shots aren’t falling:

“That’s what it is, that’s what we got to be. We got to be the team, even if we’re not making shots, to have that energy because everybody can make shots and start playing hard. So, on the nights when they’re not falling, we just got to grind through it and stick together and know like it’s going to come eventually. Just keep getting stops and that’s going to fuel our offense.”

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges discusses how he has to be better moving forward

After Thursday’s 118-112 loss at the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges talked about how he has to be better moving forward.

The Brooklyn Nets are at the point of their season where if they want a chance of making the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, they cannot afford to lose games against some of the easier opponents on their schedule. While Brooklyn has only been slightly better than some of the worst teams in the NBA, they are also going through some key injuries as well.

The Nets lost at the Detroit Pistons on Thursday 118-112 and while some would say that there isn’t much separating those two teams at this point of the season, it’s still a win that Brooklyn needs to keep its playoff hopes alive. Center Nic Claxton spoke on how the Nets have to improve their rebounding as a team if they want to come away with some of these games at a time where they are missing some key frontcourt members.

One of the main storylines that came out of Thursday’s loss as how ineffective guard Mikal Bridges was over the course of the contest. Bridges, who is averaging 20.9 points per game for the season, scored just 13 points in the contest and shot just 4-of-11 from the field.

While Bridges is dealing with some discomfort in his right wrist after taking some contact to it during a 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, he has not been listed on the injury report so the assumption is that the injury shouldn’t be affecting him too much.

Either way, if the Nets are going to win enough games to pass the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th and final seed in the play-in tournament, Bridges has to be better. He said so himself after Thursday’s loss at Detroit:

“Just bad on my part. Just continue to keep doing bad habits so personally, I just got to be better. Yeah, we was fighting, but they (the Pistons) was just getting a lot of rebounds and just executing better than us.”

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Nets’ Kevin Ollie gives injury update on key rotation players

Prior to Tuesday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie gave injury updates on key players.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets are at an important point of their season where they can no longer afford to drop any games that they should win. As Brooklyn moves forward with a fairly easy schedule over the next month or so, they have some injuries that they have to monitor in the meantime.

“Lonnie’s gonna work in his vitamins today and see if he can go tonight,” Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie said of reserve guard Lonnie Walker IV prior to Tuesday’s contest against the Philadelphia 76ers. As of this writing, Walker is listed as questionable due to a left ankle sprain that he suffered in Monday’s 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Essentially, Walker will be going through his pregame routine to see if he can play on that ankle.

“He got a scan earlier (on Tuesday), so we’re waiting for the results of that,” Ollie said of backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, who is out for Tuesday’s game due to a right wrist contusion also suffered Monday against the Grizzlies. Sharpe came out of the game after suffering his injury, but was able to re-enter the game towards the end of the fourth quarter to help with rebounding.

“I think he’s a full go. Our medical team didn’t come back and say anything about him,” Ollie said about guard Mikal Bridges, who appeared to suffer some discomfort in his right wrist during Monday’s contest against Memphis, but was not listed on the injury report.

“He’s just getting better. He’s ramping up his workouts and I keep leaning on our medical staff, and him also because he’s a big part of this, to let us know when he’s ready,” Ollie said of guard Cam Thomas, who has missed the past four games with his right ankle/midfoot sprain. With Thomas out of the lineup, Brooklyn is missing a guy who’s averaging 20.9 points per game.

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges discusses the Grizzlies giving more effort

After Monday’s 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges discussed how the Grizzlies gave more effort.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have stated throughout this season that the goal is to be in the play-in tournament at the very least. Based on their performance of Monday, Brooklyn is going to have to work harder if they want to get to the postseason.

“Yeah, it’s tough. They just played harder than us,” Nets guard Mikal Bridges said after Monday’s 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. After two impressive wins over the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn laid an egg against a Grizzlies team listing nine players, including Jaren Jackson Jr., on their injury report.

“I think just maybe relax a little bit,” Bridges said of what the team could have done better in the contest. “They’re (the Grizzlies) just playing harder than us. I think they out-rebounded us by a lot. Take a lot of credit on both ends, defensively as well. Just boxing out, not getting the rebound, and stuff like that.”

Against a Memphis team that is starting plenty of guys who were in the G League earlier this season, Brooklyn could not get their offense on track at any point in this one. The hope is that the Nets can play better when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges reacts to beating Hawks for second straight time

After Saturday’s 114-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges reacted to scoring 38 points in a pivotal game.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets had an important task ahead of them when they knew that they had the Atlanta Hawks coming to town for two games in a row. With Atlanta holding the 10th and final spot in the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament, Brooklyn knew that their playoff chances could change dramatically if they beat the Hawks both times.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s how it is,” Nets guard Mikal Bridges said after Saturday’s 114-102 win over Atlanta. Bridges broke out of his scoring slump to a tune of 38 points while also making some plays on the defensive end as well. Brooklyn’s two wins over Atlanta over the past three days brings both teams within two games of each other.

“Every game is really important for us,” Bridges continued. “So, treat every game like it’s our last, and we just gotta keep fighting every day. Take one game at a time.” While the Nets achieved some monumental wins to keep their playoff hopes alive, the work is not done for them.

Brooklyn is still two games behind Atlanta for the 10th seed so if the Nets are going to make up ground while the Hawks are missing Trae Young, they will have to take care of business over the next week. Brooklyn’s next four games are against the Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and Charlotte Hornets before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Mar. 10.

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges discusses losing to the Knicks at home

Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges described what it was like for the Barclays Center crowd to cheer for the New York Knicks during a loss.

The Brooklyn Nets have not had a good season to this point as a 13-10 start has devolved into a 21-33 record heading into the All-Star break. While Brooklyn is just 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, the final play-in tournament spot, this season has not been what everyone has expected.

Coming into the 2023-24 campaign, the Nets were expected to be one of the teams in the NBA with a losing record, but just narrowly missing the postseason. However, there were some outlets who predicted that the best case scenario for Brooklyn would be making the play-in tournament if they played above expectations.

With the Nets beginning the season at a 13-10 record, which had them on pace to win 46 games, it had appeared to everyone that Brooklyn was going to be better than originally thought. However, the bottom has fallen out for the Nets since then as they are just 8-23 from that point on due to a variety of issues throughout the organization.

One of the themes of this season following Brooklyn’s uninspiring performance heading into the All-Star break has been the growing presence of fans cheering for the visiting team instead of the Nets. Nets guard Mikal Bridges recently described on an episode of the “Roommates Show” podcast what it was like to hear the fans at Barclays Center cheering for the New York Knicks instead of the Nets:

“No, that wasn’t fun, you know? If we would have won, then I would’ve just been like aha, but, we lost so that wasn’t really fun. Especially, it was the play when y’all (the Knicks) got the block and then Julius (Randle) got the dunk. That’s when it really blew me. Just the reaction off the block was crazy.”

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges points to lack of ‘effort’ for blowout loss to Celtics

After Wednesday’s 136-86 loss at the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges cited lack of ‘effort’ for the blowout loss.

The Brooklyn Nets have the opportunity to turn their season around so that they can firmly put themselves back into the Eastern Conference playoff race with less than 30 games left in the season. However, they will have to do so on the fly and if they’re going to do that, they have to give effort.

In Wednesday’s 136-86 loss at the Boston Celtics, the one thing that stood out was the lack of effort by the Nets. Brooklyn was going up against arguably the best team in the NBA and while the Nets can’t change their talent level, they can change how hard they play on both ends of the floor.

From the opening tip, it seemed that the Nets never made it out of the locker room as the Celtics began the contest on a 16-4 run and never looked back. Brooklyn’s best quarter in terms of point differential was the fourth quarter and that was when some of the players at the bottom of the roster like Trendon Watford and Jalen Wilson got a chance to play.

Wednesday wasn’t a game that the Nets lost on the margins or through being out-schemed. It marked a game where Brooklyn did not show up on either end of the floor because of the lack of effort. Nets guard Mikal Bridges said as much after the contest:

“I think it’s a lot that just kind of came with tonight. I think effort for us, especially defensively, I think we didn’t have that effort. Whatever the game plan we had up there, I think we just didn’t execute it as we should.”

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges says team has a ‘sense of urgency’ with 29 games left

Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges said that the team has a ‘sense of urgency’ with 29 games left for the Nets to make it into the playoffs.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (21-32) are 11 games below .500 and are 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn is still within striking distance of the play-in tournament, but if they’re going to make sure that they play at least one game in the postseason, they’ll have to start winning games soon.

“Yeah, for sure,” Nets guard Mikal Bridges said after Tuesday’s 118-110 loss to the Boston Celtics. Bridges put up 27 points and three assists in Tuesday’s loss that was the front end of this home-and-home series between Brooklyn and Boston. These teams will see each other again in Boston less than 24 hours after Tuesday’s final buzzer.

“I mean, we want to make the playoffs, be in the play-in,” Bridges said. “I mean, just try to get there. You know, nobody wants to go home early. So, yeah, everybody has a sense of urgency.”

At one point this season, the Nets were in a position where they were hoping to make one of the six playoff spots and not have to participate in the play-in tournament scenario at all. However, after the way that the season has gone since the team was 13-10, it looks like they ran out of time to make that aspiration possible.

The good thing is, they are still within range of the play-in tournament and after Wednesday’s game at the Celtics, Brooklyn will have some much-needed time off because of the All-Star break. Once that break ends, they will have to get to work soon if they want to secure one of those coveted play-in tournament spots.

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