Knicks' Mikal Bridges Addresses Missed Game-Winner Over Hawks

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Apr 21, 2026 12:02 AM ET

The New York Knicks had home court advantage in Game 2 on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks. However, the Hawks still mounted a 14-point comeback led by CJ McCollum to lead them to tie the best-of-seven playoff series, 1-1, with a 107-106 win.

Late in the game, McCollum was at the free-throw line and could've pushed the Hawks' lead to three points. However, the veteran NBA guard missed both shots at the line. This gave the Knicks a chance to go for the win with 5.6 seconds left.

The team did not use their remaining timeout and pushed the ball to the other side of the court. Josh Hart found Mikal Bridges, who took a midrange shot in front of the Hawks' bench. Unfortunately for the Knicks, Bridges' shot did not go in, and it left the crowd at Madison Square Garden stunned.

Mikal Bridges Thought He Had a Good Shot

New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After the devastating loss, the media asked Bridges if he liked the shot that he took.

“Yeah, just missed it,” Bridges said. “Nothing wrong with it, just gotta make it next time.”

"Just missed it. Nothing wrong with it, just gotta make it next time"

Mikal Bridges says he "liked" the shot he got on the final possession of Game 2 pic.twitter.com/AGD3RFbNq0
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 21, 2026

Bridges did not have the best shooting performance in Game 2. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-6 performance from downtown. The Knicks guard has not been a productive player offensively. In Game 1, he had 11 points on 25.0% shooting from deep.

The 3-and-D guard is still looking for his shot in this year's playoffs. Last year, Bridges averaged 15.6 points and 4.5 rebounds on 45.6% shooting from the field through 18 games.

In the last possession, the broadcast said the Knicks had a timeout late in the game. Unfortunately for the team, they had used all their timeouts before that sequence. However, head coach Mike Brown felt that they had a clear chance to win and that Bridges' attempt was a "good shot" and said that he would've called a timeout before that play if they had one.

“I usually like to go so they [the Hawks] can’t put put in their best defenders and all that other stuff,” Brown said.

“It would’ve been my gut feel [to call a timeout]. But there is a chance I could’ve taken a timeout, if I had one and there’s a chance I wouldn’t have. I thought it was a good shot… I don’t think the shot was under a ton of duress.”

Brown told reporters that they are focused on Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta and will try to win one on the road.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: