Mikal Bridges shoulders blame in Nets' humiliating loss vs. lowly Grizzlies: "It just sucks"

Mikal produced 14 points in an abysmal shooting mark as the Nets are back in the losing column.
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After dropping a huge 38 points to propel the Brooklyn Nets' second-straight dub over the Atlanta Hawks last weekend, Mikal Bridges seemed to be heating up as it matters the most.

But in what could've been a much easier showcase for them on Monday night at the Barclays Center while facing a handicapped, lottery-bound Memphis Grizzlies squad with no Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Marcus Smart, Mikal came up disappointing yet again as the Nets endured a gut-wrenching 106-102 loss.

Blame taken

For another unexpected moment, Mikal was underwhelming for Brooklyn as they couldn't ask for the best opportunity to win and elevate themselves for the Play-In race.

Logging a game-high 39 minutes, Bridges failed to productively produce as he finished with an awful 14 points. He also shot horribly by going off for an inconsistent 4-14 from the field with 2-8 from the three-point land.

For that, Bridges openly understands that he made the entire group down with the mediocre showing he displayed.

“Maybe [we] relaxed a little bit but yeah, they just played harder than us. I think they outrebounded us by a lot. I take a lot of credit on both ends – defensively as well – just boxing out, not getting the rebound and stuff like that. So it’s just tough,” Bridges said. “This is just a bad one for me, and [I] take a lot of blame for [it]. It just sucks. But you’ve gotta get ready for [the 76ers].”

No time to wait for Mikal to step up

Mikal has stretched his passiveness as his 14-point night serves as the fifth in the team's last six games in which he dropped 15 points or lower. With Cam Thomas out, who is continuing his ankle recovery, the Nets are screaming for a much better demonstration coming from the star swingman.

As Brooklyn cannot afford to sustain a record downslide further, we can only see if Mikal will truly deliver a bounce-back game against the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow.

Brooklyn blows a golden opportunity in a crushing loss to the Grizzlies


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Peter Sunjic
PETER SUNJIC

Peter's journey with basketball commenced in the first grade, and it has since evolved into an integral part of his life. Standing on the brink of a potential professional playing career, Peter ultimately chose to pursue a degree in Political Science and Journalism in Zagreb, Croatia. Despite this academic pursuit, his deep-rooted love for the game of basketball endured, undiminished. Now, as a writer and editor, Peter finds an avenue to channel his unwavering passion for basketball-related news and analysis. Whether it's deciphering the latest happenings or delving into the lore of old-school basketball, he covers every corner of the NBA world.