Mikal Bridges' Advice Helps Knicks Solve Third Quarter Woes

Finding the solution to the New York Knicks' third quarter woes was, apparently, a layup.

New York had lost of the first five third periods staged in its Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Detroit Pistons. When a one-point halftime lead in Game 5 became a six-point deficit in less than four minutes, Knicks star Mikal Bridges offered a seemingly elementary solution, one perhaps more suitable for CYO play or summer camps rather than the NBA playoffs.

“We've got to maybe do some layup lines or something coming out of halftime," Bridges theorized, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. "Get everybody out there moving."

May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons guard Dennis Schroder (17) in the first half during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Winfield described Bridges' solution as "half-joking, half-serious." But when the Knicks took the floor of Little Caesars Arena for the second of Game 6 on Thursday night, they lined up for layups as they prepared to erase a narrow, yet firm, 61-59 deficit.

The apparent swoon had started early for the Knicks, who saw a 14-point lead established after the opening dozen fully evaporate. Detroit ended the second period on a 10-2 run over the final two minutes.

But Bridges' solution proved so crazy it just had to work: ironically enough, it was Bridges himself who opened the second half with a driving double, tying the game 22 seconds in. It marked the tip of an eventual 13-point advantage established in the third, one that gave the Knicks a double-figure lead going into the vital frame.

Bridges led all scorers with 11 points in the third period on a perfect 4-of-4 mark. Though things got tense in the final minutes, New York ended up winning the game 116-113, securing advancement into the conference semifinal round for the third consecutive season.

Amusement reigned in the Knick locker room following Bridges' revelation: Karl-Anthony Towns hoped the "desperation" of Game 6 played a bigger factor in the surge rather than lay-up lines (h/t SNY) but Bridges' backup Cameron Payne hinted that his fellow first-year New Yorker may have forged a new identity for himself.

"That's his new name now? Layup line 'Kal?" Payne joked in the aftermath of Game 6 in video from SNY. "We get off to slow starts in the third. I guess, today, he (was) trying to get the game over. He (was) trying to go ahead and close the series out. Before we walked out, he was like, 'I need everybody out there doing these layups.' But I respect it, I respect it. It got us going. We came out in the third and played well. It was big time, everybody listened to him.”

Undefeated in the layup line era, the Knicks would perhaps be wise to continue to engage in Bridges' practice: their second-round opponent, the Boston Celtics, shot just under 47 percent from the field in their own opening round set and held a 5.6-point margin in scoring in the third quarter, best in the East and second-best overall behind Oklahoma City.

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