BROOKLYN – The NBA announced that Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Mikal Bridges has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, March 27, through Sunday, April 2. The honor is the first of Bridges’ career.
Bridges led Brooklyn to a 3-0 week, recording averages of 33.0 points (third among Eastern Conference players), 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 38.3 minutes per game, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from 3-point range and 88.5 percent from the free-throw line. He was one of four players in the East to appear in multiple games and average at least 30 points per game, and Bridges was the only one of those four to lead his team to a perfect week. Bridges ranked third in the East in free throws made (23) and second in free throws made per game (7.7), trailing only Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (8.0). Bridges registered a plus/minus of +52 for the week, tied for the second-best plus/minus among all Eastern Conference players. Bridges began the week by totaling 27 points (8-of-17 shooting from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line), six rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes in a 123-114 victory over the Houston Rockets in Brooklyn. He followed up that performance by recording his third-career 40-point game in a 124-107 home win over the Atlanta Hawks, notching 42 points (16-of-24 shooting from the field, 5-of-8 from distance and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line), four rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes. Bridges rounded out the week by registering 30 points (9-of-25 shooting from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line), seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in 39 minutes in a 111-110 home win over the Utah Jazz.
Bridges is one of 28 players in franchise history to earn Player of the Week honors and one of just four in-season acquisitions to earn a Player of the Week honor for the Nets all-time, joining James Harden (2021), Vince Carter (2005) and Mickey Johnson (1983).
Bridges has appeared in 23 games (all starts) with Brooklyn since being acquired via trade on Feb. 9, producing averages of 27.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 35.2 minutes per contest while shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from 3-point range and 90.6 percent from the free-throw line. Since the trade deadline, Bridges is fourth in the league in total points scored (634), trailing only Embiid (745), Zach LaVine (678) and Donovan Mitchell (647), sixth in free throws made (144) and ninth in free throws attempted (159). He’s scored 30 or more points 11 times after doing so twice in 365 career games with the Phoenix Suns and has notched the first three 40-point games of his career as a Net. For the full season, Bridges has registered averages of 20.2 points (career high), 4.4 rebounds (career high), 3.3 assists (career high) and 1.1 steals in 36.1 minutes per contest (career high) across 79 games (all starts), while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from 3-point range and 90.1 percent from the free-throw line (career high). Bridges’ consecutive games played streak currently sits at 388 games, which is more than twice as long as the next longest active streak in the league and is the longest consecutive games played streak to begin a career since Russell Westbrook played in 394 straight games at the beginning of his career (2008-13).
