ATLANTA -- New York Knicks coach Mike Brown isn't ready to bench Mikal Bridges, but he took a step toward it in a disappointing Game 3 finish in Atlanta.
Bridges didn't play for much of the second half in the Knicks' 109-108 loss to the Hawks on Thursday, as New York trails the first-round series 2-1.
Bridges went scoreless and was a minus-26, committing four turnovers. He struggled in the second half of Game 2, when he was also scoreless and a minus-11 as the Hawks staged a fourth-quarter comeback to steal home-court advantage in this series.
Brown went with Miles McBride after pulling Bridges in the opening minutes of the third quarter, bringing him back for only Atlanta's final offensive possession, which resulted in a CJ McCollum pull-up jumper that gave the Hawks a one-point lead with 12.5 seconds left.
Bridges has been under fire all season, his second in New York, because of the draft capital the Knicks sacrificed to acquire him. He scored 11 points in the Knicks' Game 1 win but has been ineffective since.
"I'm not concerned about him," Brown said. "I just went with what I felt the game called for that time. Mikal's a pro. He's played hundreds of basketball games, so he should be fine."