CHARLOTTE — Mikal Bridges found himself on the Knicks' bench for nearly the entire stretch run of the game Friday, watching as his teammates pushed ahead against the Hornets. And, just as he said in Utah when he sat down the stretch, he had no argument with the decision.

The New York Knicks made a bold move when they traded for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets this offseason for a heap of future first-round draft picks. Bridges was seen as a savior for the Knicks and as someone who could finally get them over the hump.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau pulled Bridges 3 minutes and 45 seconds into the fourth quarter in favor of Miles McBride

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

Mikal Bridges faced the Nets this weekend for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Knicks.

Guards like Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Darius Garland have torched the Knicks this season, exposing cracks in the team’s ability to contain the league’s most dynamic scorers, with much of the blame on the outside falling on Bridges, tasked with guarding the point of attack.

The New York Knicks moved mountains in order to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets back in the summertime. Bridges, 28, is averaging 15.8 points for the Knicks, which is a step back from his past two years with the Brooklyn Nets,

Bridges has been nearly allergic to drawing fouls, and his defense hasn't quite been as advertised. But his corner 3s have been money.

The Knicks should’ve had a great deal on Black Friday against a battered, bottom-dwelling opponent. Instead, they paid full retail price for a 99-98 victory, a performance that required a fourth-quarter comeback as the team’s top disappointment Mikal Bridges watched most of it from the bench.