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In a surprising move during the Knicks’ 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, key players Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart found themselves largely sidelined for the crucial fourth quarter.
Josh Hart was completely absent from the lineup in the final period, marking the second consecutive game he received no playing time in the fourth quarter. Mikal Bridges, on the other hand, managed to clock just one minute in the last quarter and was left puzzled about the decision.
“I’m not sure,” Bridges remarked post-game, after recording a season-low six points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Hart, who has shown improvement following a rocky start to the season, appeared visibly frustrated following the game.
Meanwhile, teammates Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, and Jordan Clarkson saw more action in the final stretch than both Bridges and Hart, raising questions about the coaching strategy.
“I got my own stuff,” Hart, who scored 10 points in 18 minutes with three turnovers, said when asked about the apparent injury to teammate Jalen Brunson.
Regardless of the minutes distribution, there will be big alterations if Brunson is hurt. The point guard turned his right ankle in garbage time, a development that leaves coach Mike Brown under the microscope for playing his star when the game’s outcome was settled.
Before tip-off, Brown said he’d grown more comfortable with his rotation.
“I was all over the map [with my rotations earlier in the season]. Because I was all over the map, the players were all over the map,” Brown said. “And after getting some practices in, getting some games under our belt, showing the guys, ‘Hey this is what we should be looking at, we have a little bit of a rhythm.’ ”
The rhythm stopped along with the Knicks’ five-game winning streak, as Brown’s squad was outmuscled by the physical Magic.
Brown altered his rotation — particularly by benching Bridges — and he’ll have to change it further if Brunson is out.
Mitchell Robinson returned from a one-game absence because of load management but wasn’t a positive factor in a game dominated by Orlando’s size and power.
He still collected five offensive rebounds but the Knicks were outscored by 11 points in Robinson’s 17 minutes.
Robinson is still playing in three-minute bursts as part of his load management plan. He also won’t play in both games of a back-to-back set.
The Knicks next play a home-and-away set against the Heat — starting Friday at MSG. Miami beat New York earlier this season.
“I don’t think we responded properly [to Orlando’s physicality],” Hart said. “So, learned a lesson. We have a tough, physical opponent on Friday. And we got to respond.”