NBA Notes: Knicks, Mikal Bridges, Spurs, Harrison Barnes, Sixers

Bridges finished with 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Saturday’s win, continuing a postseason run in which he’s delivered exactly what New York hoped for when it made the blockbuster move.

The raw scoring numbers may not match what he posted with the Nets, but the Knicks never acquired him to carry the offense every night.

They wanted a versatile two-way wing capable of impacting games in multiple ways, and that’s precisely what he’s been doing.

“The expectations don’t matter,” teammate Josh Hart said. “That’s for y’all to talk about. There’s nothing he can do about it.”

Hart added that Bridges has repeatedly come through in big moments, especially defensively late in games.

Meanwhile, veteran guard Landry Shamet continues carving out a larger role in coach Mike Brown’s rotation. According to Jared Schwartz of the New York Post, Shamet logged a playoff-high 28 minutes on Saturday and scored 14 points, including three fourth-quarter triples that helped close the door on Cleveland.

“Landry was huge,” Brown said afterward. “You’re not gonna stop [Donovan Mitchell], but you gotta work your tail off. Landry’s trying to work.”

Spurs

The Spurs are still learning what deep playoff basketball looks and feels like for the first time with this young core. That’s where veteran forward Harrison Barnes has become especially valuable.

Barnes has seen this before.

Back in 2015, he was part of a young Warriors team that trailed LeBron James and the Cavaliers 2-1 in the NBA Finals before rallying to win the championship.

Now the Spurs find themselves in a similar spot, trailing the defending champion Thunder 2-1 in the Western Conference finals (entering Sunday night).

Speaking with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Barnes said the focus has to remain on whether San Antonio is truly playing to its standard.

“It’s a matter of saying, ‘Look, however many games the series goes, are we going to play to our standard when we look back at those games?’” Barnes said.

Young star Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs still have time to change the direction of the series. But Barnes made it clear the urgency level has already arrived.

76ers

The 76ers hold the No. 22 pick in next month’s draft, though their biggest offseason move may happen in the front office before they’re officially on the clock.

According to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice, Bob Myers said the organization would ideally like to have its new lead basketball executive in place before the draft, though the Sixers aren’t rushing the process.

“The goal would be to have someone in place for the draft,” Myers said. “But it’ll be as much time as required to get the best person.”

As for the roster itself, Philadelphia appears focused on finding immediate help with the No. 22 selection. With multiple max-contract players on the roster — and ongoing injury concerns surrounding Joel Embiid — there’s pressure to find a rookie capable of contributing quickly.

Several prospects have already been linked to the Sixers in mock drafts, including Allen Graves of Santa Clara, Dailyn Swain of Texas and Luigi Suigo, a 7-foot-3 center from Italy with intriguing offensive upside.

According to Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, adding ready-made depth is viewed as especially important for a Sixers team trying to maximize its current championship window.