Rockets surge into G7 as ‘steady’ VanVleet delivers

New York Knicks wing Mikal Bridges is one of the NBA’s true ironmen, often leading the league in games and minutes played. That’s why it was strange to see Bridges on the bench for most of the fourth quarter in a back-and-forth Knicks victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday afternoon.

New York coach Tom Thibodeau went with Miles McBride for most of the quarter because he felt the Knicks were “stuck in the mud” on offense. Thibodeau also referenced McBride being “fresher” and that the Knicks sixth man was “making shots”.

For his part, Bridges agreed that his coach “made the right decision”. Bridges put it on himself to make sure he’s on the floor during crunch time.

“I got to play better. I’ve been inconsistent,” Bridges said. “I’ve had some games where I’ve played good, some I haven’t. Just got to find a rhythm within the team. That’s pretty much it. Not even 20 games in, still just trying to figure it out.”

ESPN will continue to produce “NBA Countdown” and “NBA Today” despite its deal to license “Inside The NBA” from TNT.

The show will appear on ESPN and ABC surrounding high-profile live events, including ESPN’s pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC, conference finals, NBA playoffs, all ABC games after Jan. 1, Christmas Day, opening week, the final week of the season and other marquee live events.

“Inside the NBA is universally recognized as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “We have long admired the immensely talented team and are thrilled to add their chemistry and knowledge to our robust set of NBA studio offerings to super-serve NBA fans like never before. The addition of Inside the NBA further solidifies ESPN as the preeminent destination for sports fans.”