Bridges Does it Again as Knicks' Defensive Closer

The New York Knicks took an early 1-0 series advantage against the Boston Celtics in a Monday thriller, erasing a 20-point second-half deficit to reign supreme in crunch time. The Knicks took them to overtime, where Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson put the Celtics on their toes before Mikal Bridges made a last-second defensive stand to seal the 108-105 win.

It made for a remarkable feel-good win, but the Celtics missing so many of their 3-pointers seemed too unlikely to bank on as a series strategy.

Fast forward to Wednesday night's Game 2 rematch, where the reigning champions looked like they'd taken control midway through the third once again. They mounted a lead as tall as 20 points before the Knicks, again, chipped away.

While Brunson struggled with efficiency, Bridges came up huge as a scorer. He canned all 14 of his points in the final quarter to keep his team in it, and came up with yet another huge defensive possession to leave the Celtics winless at home. Jayson Tatum looked like he'd ran out of options, settling for a pull-up along the baseline without seeing the defenders collapsing over him.

MIKAL BRIDGES THE CLUTCHEST DEFENDER IN THE NBA
pic.twitter.com/xYgMu6Dnx2
— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) May 8, 2025

The 91-90 win granted the underdog Knicks a decisive 2-0 lead, now having toughed out multiple comebacks and clutch performances. They'll head back to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4 later this week, where they'll have a chance to send the Celtics home on their own storied court.

Bridges, who's emerged as a clutch presence for these Knicks, continues making the ambitious trade to acquire him look better by the game. Five first round picks is a lot for someone who's never made an All-Star team, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a Knicks fan who'd rather have the future draft capital than a 2-0 lead over the Celtics.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!