Mikal Bridges saves Knicks from Grinch Victor Wembanyama in Christmas thriller
For three and a half quarters, Victor Wembanyama played the role of the Grinch to a T.
The 7-foot-3 wunderkind scared the Knicks and their fans, threatening to ruin a festive Christmas at the Garden.
One of the newest Knicks, Mikal Bridges, wouldn’t allow it.
The former Nets star made all the big shots late and the Knicks locked up Wembanyama when it counted, rallying from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a thrilling 117-114 holiday victory.
“It’s a great win for us,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “They did a lot of things that I know they probably felt would win the game, and we still found a way to grit one out.”
Bridges has played at a high level for a while now after some early-season struggles, but this was different. This was brilliant. This was clutch. This was Bridges’ first true MSG moment.
He poured in a Knicks career-high 41 points on 17-for-25 shooting, and Josh Hart came up with two clutch offensive rebounds in the final seconds to ice the victory.
Wembanyama finished with 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, but defensive ace OG Anunoby bottled him up down the stretch, holding him without a point over the final 7:44, as the Knicks won their fifth straight and 15th game in their past 19 to improve to 20-10.
They also have won three of their past four games on Christmas.
“It’s not easy. It’s a holiday. It’s a family day,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “These guys, they make a lot of sacrifices. They have young kids, [but] we also know it’s an honor and a privilege to be playing on this day. So we embrace that. We also know what it means to our city and our fans, and so we wanted to give them something to be proud of.”
Towns had 21 points and nine rebounds and Jalen Brunson had 20 points and nine assists, but neither scored in the final quarter, both spending a good portion of it on the bench as others led the game-turning surge.
Bridges scored 15 points in the final quarter and the Knicks made the defining hustle plays in the period.
They had four offensive rebounds over the final 12 minutes — two coming from Hart in the final 17.1 seconds of a three-point game.
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“The offensive rebounding was huge. Made a big difference in the game,” Thibodeau said. “We had 100 shots, they had 83.”
Wembanyama, the league’s reigning Rookie of the Year, owned the first half, dazzling the crowd with his length, absurd athleticism and ability to play both in the paint and on the perimeter.
He sank four 3-pointers, grabbed rebounds that looked to be well beyond his reach and found teammates for dunks.
He scored 24 points with 11 rebounds and four assists in a dynamic opening 24 minutes.
“Good lord, he’s different,” said Hart, who had 12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
The Spurs took a seven-point lead into the break, and the Knicks were fortunate to be that close. They missed 15 of their first 16 3-point attempts and were 4-for-21 at halftime.
The lead ping-ponged in the second half, the two teams trading runs.
The Knicks had the last one, a 23-9 burst that turned an eight-point deficit into a six-point lead.
Bridges started it with a 3-pointer and scored nine points in the outburst, including medium-range jumpers on consecutive possessions to push the lead to five with 1:18 left.
The Garden exploded at that point, erupting like it hadn’t all afternoon.
“Just hearing that excitement of the crowd just roaring at the end,” Bridges said, “it was crazy.”
