Mikal Bridges

The Miami Heat paid a visit to the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center Wednesday night. It was the first meeting between the two squads since Kevin Durant's ...

[Box Score: Brooklyn Nets 116, Miami Heat 105](https://www.nba.com/game/mia-vs-bkn-0022200878/box-score#box-score)- NBA [Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 116, Miami Heat 105 (Video)](https://youtu.be/s0uZDtM-S9o)- NBA [Highlights: Mikal Bridges / 45 PTS (Video)](https://youtu.be/Q3Hyy8g7wUI)- NBA [Highlights: Cameron Johnson vs. Bridges led the scoring for the Nets at the break with 17 points, while Simmons out-played Claxton at the center spot, earning 11 minutes to his teammate’s 8. Despite it all, the Nets were in front by a point, 26 to 25, after a deep side-step three from Spencer Dinwiddie in the closing seconds. He had two strong rolls to the basket after stepping onto the floor — laying the ball in on a feed from Bridges and then finding Mikal in the corner for three — but still struggled with illegal screens and general passiveness. is headed to Salt Lake City for the G League equivalent of the G League. The trend continued in the third quarter with more strong play from Miami, but the visiting Heat couldn’t extend their lead past six points. He [Bridges] was in the zone,” Cam Johnson said. Bridges ended up scoring 15 straight, the lead became ten, then twelve. It was the first meeting between the two squads since Kevin Durant’s MCL Sprain in South Beach, which turned out to be the last of his Nets tenure. He did so in his first stint on the floor with multiple self-created mid-range jump shots. The versatile two-way forward showed out with 12 points in the first period on 5-of-6 shooting while also swatting two shots. “They gave me the confidence to go out there and just be aggressive, but man, I want to do all that and win, too.

He might have been dumped by the Phoenix Suns in their blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, but Mikal Bridges is enjoying a hot start to life in Brooklyn ...

Zach Lavine had 35 points for the Bulls to go with 11 boards and seven assists, while Coby White had 25 points and Nikola Vucevic 19 points and seven rebounds. Buddy Hield led the way with 27 points, while Aaron Nesmith had 21 points and seven rebounds and Miles Turner added 17 points and nine rebounds. Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and Darius Garland 27 for Cleveland, who fought back in the second half after entering the big break down 25 points. You can only respect what he’s done in this league. You can do nothing but respect that.” Once we get stops, all of us can play in transition.

Bridges scored a career-high 45 points with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in Wednesday's 116-105 win.

Vaughn said he plans to spend the All-Star break working on the terminology to help the group adjust better. [Spencer Dinwiddie](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/spencer-dinwiddie-huzVN9MOnuJR3hwP/) remains a firm candidate, but Bridges has made a strong case for himself. But for a team that seemed to be searching for solutions as early as Monday, the Nets appear to have found a formula to win. Claxton has been less of a factor offensively since the Durant trade, which Vaughn said is because of the workload he’s had to take on this season. “The coaches, before we walked in, we talked about how, really, Nic and Spencer didn’t have their best nights,” Vaughn said. It might not be the same dose of the same player.” Going into the fourth quarter, the score had been tied 11 times with 10 lead changes, and the Nets led by three. I think overall it was just attitude and the mindset of not letting us go away without a win tonight.” Should the Nets expect Bridges to flirt with 40 points as frequently as Durant did? “The 3s were able to go down for him. “He had the mindset. He added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks and celebrated by handing his mother, Tyneeha Rivers, his jersey before walking off the floor.

There have been four Brooklyn Nets players this season to score at least 40 points this season: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Cameron Thomas and now Mikal ...

In the three games since being traded to the Nets, Bridges is averaging 25 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists. That statline makes Bridges just the second player in Nets history to put up at least 45 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. It's ironic that Bridges joins Durant in posting that elite statline, given he was the player Brooklyn coveted the most from Phoenix in the trade that sent K.D. He didn't even take a dribble, and managed to pull off a tough layup that resulted in an and-1 opportunity. In a 116-105 win over the [Miami Heat](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/MIA/miami-heat/) Wednesday night, Bridges dropped a career-high 45 points to show exactly why the Nets coveted him so much in the blockbuster deal that sent Durant to Phoenix. The efficiency with which Bridges got his 45 points is what stands out the most, in that he shot 70.8 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3-point territory.

For the Heat, Bam Adebayo had 24 points and 13 rebounds while Gabe Vincent had 21 points and three rebounds. Max Strus had 18 points and Jimmy Butler had 13 ...

Before Wednesday, the most that Bridges scored in a game in his NBA career was 34 points and on Wednesday, he had it going so much that he surpassed that by 11 ...

New Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges went off for a career-high 45 points on Wednesday in his team's 116-105 win over the Miami Heat.

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). It looks like that growth and development is going to continue in Brooklyn with the Nets, but we don't think it's because Phoenix held the wing back. [Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant trade could go down as the best trade in Arizona sports history](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/02/14/kevin-durant-phoenix-suns-trade-timeline-arizona-history/69900910007/) [Phoenix Suns players, coach react to losing Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson in blockbuster Kevin Durant deal](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/02/09/suns-emotional-after-losing-bridges-johnson-in-durant-deal/69890882007/) [Phoenix Suns fans lament losing Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson in Kevin Durant trade](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/02/09/phoenix-suns-fans-mikal-bridges-cam-johnson-kevin-durant-trade/69888482007/) Mikal Bridges with a smooth 45 piece wing dinner, 8 biscuits and 5 apple pies.

For all the excitement Kevin Durant is bringing to the Valley for the upcoming playoff push, Phoenix Suns fans are taking losing wing Mikal Bridges hard.

He did so on 24 shot attempts with eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a win over the Miami Heat. [February 16, 2023] On the court, Bridges scored a career-high 45 points in only his third game for the Brooklyn Nets.

Mikal Bridges came in second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and that is his calling card — elite point of attack wing defense. He could ...