Mikal Bridges extends NBA’s longest energetic streak to 638 consecutive video games

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges had one other quick evening to increase the NBA’s longest energetic streak of consecutive video games performed, logging 23 seconds within the New York Knicks’ recreation in opposition to Charlotte on Sunday.

That made it 638 consecutive video games for Bridges, who has by no means missed one in his professional profession. He not too long ago moved previous Andre Miller for the eighth-longest streak in NBA historical past.

Bridges was the one Knicks starter to play with the group locked into the No. 3 seed within the Eastern Conference. Coach Mike Brown mentioned he would solely permit the guard to play lengthy sufficient to increase the streak, and reserve Jordan Clarkson was already strolling to the scorer’s desk to exchange him even earlier than the opening leap ball.

The Knicks gained the tip and had the primary possession. As quickly as they ran again on protection, Bridges dedicated a foul to cease play and he was eliminated.

Five NBA gamers had streaks of greater than 700 video games, led by A.C. Green’s 1,192.

“It’s crazy because load management is a real term,” Brown mentioned earlier than the sport. “And that’s something that’s thought of by everybody, not just the medical performance group but by coaches, by individual players, by agents, by family members, and people get pushed to take time off for whatever reason. And so for a guy like that to be at the number he’s at in consecutive games played speaks volumes.”

The NBA Cup ultimate that the Knicks gained doesn’t rely within the statistics, in any other case Bridges would have been credited with enjoying 83 video games in an 82-game season for the second time in 4 years. He performed 56 video games with Phoenix in 2022-23 earlier than he was dealt to Brooklyn within the commerce for Kevin Durant, then appeared in the entire Nets’ ultimate 27 video games.

He prolonged the streak on the finish of that season by enjoying 4 seconds within the regular-season finale, and performed six seconds within the ultimate recreation of the 2024-25 season.

There had been 18 gamers who went into the ultimate day of the common season having performed each recreation. Charlotte’s Sion James was additionally set to seem in his 82nd recreation Sunday at Madison Square Garden.