These past few games, we’re starting to see the very best of Mikal Bridges again, which has been a reminder that there was a reason the Knicks targeted Bridges in the first place.

Mikal Bridges proved to be a Net gain for the New York Knicks on Friday night. Bridges has struggled to find his Manhattan footing since donning a Knicks jersey

Josh Hart was traded for one first-round pick. Mikal Bridges, the spotlighted player Friday for the interborough rivalry game, cost the Knicks five.

Ashley Howard still remembers when Mikal Bridges used to hide in the bathroom. It’s how Bridges disrupted game days during his redshirt season at Villanova in 2014-15, when he and the assistant coach had the court to themselves about an hour before the rest of the team arrived.

Mikal Bridges chose to focus on the positives when asked about his first matchup versus his former team, the Brooklyn Nets.