Nets' Mikal Bridges told himself to play freely vs. Hornets, and it paid off

CHARLOTTE — Mikal Bridges whipped his head to stare at the Nets bench after his buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first quarter Monday. He let his popular celebration - pointing and shaking his head - linger slower than usual.

That fun was missing as Bridges struggled the first two games. During the Nets’ 133-121 win, Bridges looked comfortable again, making his first three shots and finishing with 24 points and seven rebounds.

With the locker room nearly deserted, Bridges conceded part of his slow start was feeling the pressure to lead. For someone who values winning first, it added more burden to live up to that expectation.

“I think it's just the eagerness of being in a position I'm in,” said Bridges. ”Wanting to lead, and lead by being vocal and leading by scoring and doing all, having the ball in my hands.

“But I think I just had to let it breathe, let the game come to me and still be aggressive at moments when I'm out there.”

Bridges shot just 6-for-17 in Friday’s loss to the Mavericks. That came after shooting 1-for-5 in the first half against the Cavaliers.

Part of it is teams making him a greater priority. It’s similar to how Bridges saw his field-goal percentage drop in every game of last season’s first-round playoff sweep to the 76ers.

But Bridges also felt he put too much pressure on himself. Being a leader was a personal goal he embraced before the season but it led to him overdoing things such as forcing bad shots.

After talking with his mother, Tyneeha Rivers, as well as coach Jacque Vaughn, he remembered to get back to basics on what made him successful.

"I think I was just so on myself trying to do this, do this, do that, especially coming back from [Team] USA, not having that much time being here,” Bridges said. “I think I was getting frustrated on myself and let my spirit down and not having fun out there. Just knew I had to come in today. Just let it go. Just go play. Play free and have fun.”

Vaughn said he ran the first play for Bridges on Monday to get him going. Although Bridges didn’t shoot on the play, it got him into a rhythm that led to nine points in the first quarter.

His teammates never doubted Bridges would eventually get his form back.

“With Mikal’s work ethic, he’ll be fine. It’s all about learning nuances and continuing to improve,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “It’s always an adjustment when you go into a new role, really being able to carry that No. 1 option, focal point, draw double teams, things of that nature.

For Bridges, it’s the latest part of his growth. Learning how to balance the pressure of leadership without feeling overburdened or losing what made him effective.

“I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win, and if there's some things I don't like, whether a coverage or offensively I'm more frustrated, it's because I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to win,” Bridges said. “And I think it just kind of brought me down and just made me frustrated and I'm not the best player when I'm super frustrated."

Dinwiddie, Smith Jr. doubtful vs. Heat

Spencer Dinwiddie was listed as doubtful for Wednesday's game at the Miami Heat. He missed the second half of Monday's win with a sprained left ankle. The surprise, however, was Dennis Smith Jr. also being listed as doubtful with a left hip contusion.

Smith fell down hard on his hip while attempting a shot in the second half Monday. This means the Nets could be without four rotation players against the Heat with Cam Johnson (calf strain) and Nic Claxton (sprained ankle) already ruled out. To fill space on the bench, the Nets called up two-way players Armoni Brooks and Jalen Wilson from Long Island.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.