The New York Knicks are happy with the redemption of Mikal Bridges

Former Villanova Wildcat Mikala Bridges it was down to zero and then some for the New York Knicks on Friday night.

All eyes on him after a dismal debutBridges showed off his famous two-way game in the Knicks’ home win against the Indiana Pacers: in addition to playing defensively (which was part of the drive that kept the top-ranked Pacers below 100 points), Bridges scored 21 points in 8 -of- 12 from the field on the way to a 123-98 triumph over the team that ended New York’s last playoff series.

There are (at least) 80 opportunities to turn the tide, but both Bridges’ colleagues and superiors were more than happy to rejoice in his early redemption.

“Where we are today, with everything, social media, everyone wants, has their own opinion on everything.” head coach Tom Thibodeau said in a video posted by SNY. “Yet a guy who does this job every day… When you watch him work, you know how much he puts into it. Then his body of work… This guy shot almost 38 percent (from three) in his career. I would take care of it.”

“I never thought he wasn’t in his bag,” added Madison Square Garden virgin Karl-Anthony Towns (h/t SNY). “It was pre-season. I could have sworn it was 0-0 when we started the game in Boston. He did his job when the lights came on.”

For now, Bridges is having the last laugh at critics on social media who question his adjusted jump shot. AND frozen pre-season that Towns mentioned (2 of 19 from three-point range) didn’t help, but since missing his first five shots in the Knicks’ first loss in Boston, the former Brooklynite shot 15 of 20, including 4 of 6 from deep.

On Friday, Bridges was part of a mixed bag of Metropolitan Government scoring action, as he was one of four New Yorkers to score at least 20 points. One major difference from last year’s group, however, will be watching him throughout the year. The fact that the Knicks mortgaged a significant portion of their future to obtain Bridges’ services represented a star-studded departure from the draft stockpiling they had engaged in over the past several offseasons.

This, combined with the roar of the enthusiastic MSG crowd, certainly makes occasions like Friday even sweeter.

Bridges can keep the momentum going on Monday when the Knicks (1-1) host the Cleveland Cavaliers at home (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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