He only scored 2 points but his name was on everyone’s lips after the Suns’ 17th straight win. Mikal Bridges was sent on a mission to Stephen Curry and the Phoenix winger fulfilled it with flying colors.
Held at 12 points at 4/21 on shots including 3/14 at 3-points, the double MVP simply had his worst night in his career in terms of address (with 20 shots attempted or more) with 19% overall and 21% behind the arch. “Chef Curry” was even isolated from his collective with only 2 assists and as many stray balls for a +/- of -17 …
“Mikal’s defense was excellent”, confirmed Monty Williams for Arizona Sports. “Steph missed some shots but I think Mikal’s respect for Steph and our collective defense meant that he saw a lot of players stand against him. We tried to make it as difficult as possible for him. We had several players who raised the tone. “
Hanging on to Stephen Curry’s basques for 41 minutes, his team’s biggest total of minutes (ahead of Chris Paul’s 39) with 4 interceptions, Mikal Bridges added a nice line to his application for the best trophy. defender of the year. With his immense arms, he considerably hampered the opposing leader, who is none other than the best scorer in the league (tied with Kevin Durant).
“They did a great job on Steph”, acknowledged Steve Kerr. “Bridges was hooked on him and they made a lot of changes on the screens. They didn’t come out far when he was without a ball. The good positions he found he just didn’t convert and he never found a rhythm. I found that their defense played a lot on that. They were very, very good. (…) It’s probably good for us to know this type of game, especially at the start of the season. It’s a good reminder that we still have to improve a lot. “
A duel at the top that has only just begun
In this clash of the titans in the Western Conference, Phoenix struck the first, and this, evolving a whole half without his best player, Devin Booker out on injury (ischios).
At the podium in a post-match press conference, Mikal Bridges (accompanied by Deandre Ayton) could not help but smile after this 17th win in a row as he remembers that the Suns had won only 19 games in all and for everything during his rookie season!
“It’s an effort of the whole team. What I really did was just be aggressive and stay attached to him despite the screens, and do the right readings. [de système]. But it’s the whole team that participated because if a guy misses on a change after screen, there is a space and it is a 3-point for him. It is a collective effort. Our defensive covers and the patterns put in place by the staff were really good and we executed them well. “
For their part, the Warriors were good players, Stephen Curry also acknowledging that this setback was a good lesson for the future. Steve Kerr rubbed his hands on the strategies he will be able to put in place after this game rich in lessons.
“When the opposing teams send people to Steph, there will be openings for Jordan, for Otto, for Klay. It’s gonna be fun. “
The match between Suns and Warriors at the top of the West is therefore only just beginning. And in fact, the two teams meet this Friday for the rematch, this time in San Francisco. Before a third round scheduled for December 25 under the tree!
| Mikal Bridges | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | PHX | 82 | 30 | 43.0 | 33.5 | 80.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 8.3 |
| 2019-20 | PHX | 73 | 28 | 51.0 | 36.1 | 84.4 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 9.1 |
| 2020-21 | PHX | 72 | 33 | 54.3 | 42.5 | 84.0 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 13.5 |
| 2021-22 | PHX | 20 | 34 | 54.4 | 39.1 | 84.0 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 12.9 |
| Total | 247 | 30 | 50.1 | 37.7 | 83.1 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 10.4 | |
