CHARLOTTE — Mikal Bridges found himself on the Knicks' bench for nearly the entire stretch run of the game Friday, watching as his teammates pushed ahead against the Hornets. And, just as he said in Utah when he sat down the stretch, he had no argument with the decision.

The New York Knicks made a bold move when they traded for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets this offseason for a heap of future first-round draft picks. Brid

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau pulled Bridges 3 minutes and 45 seconds into the fourth quarter in favor of Miles McBride

The New York Knicks moved mountains in order to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets back in the summertime. Bridges, 28, is averaging 15.8 points for t

Bridges has been nearly allergic to drawing fouls, and his defense hasn't quite been as advertised. But his corner 3s have been money.

Guards like Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Darius Garland have torched the Knicks this season, exposing cracks in the team’s ability to contain the league’s most dynamic scorers, with much of the blame on the outside falling on Bridges, tasked with guarding the point of attack.

It may have been a slow start to the season for Mikal Bridges, but he's still going to be key to the Knicks' title aspirations.

The Knicks should’ve had a great deal on Black Friday against a battered, bottom-dwelling opponent. Instead, they paid full retail price for a 99-98 victory, a performance that required a fourth-quarter comeback as the team’s top disappointment Mikal Bridges watched most of it from the bench.