Poor shooting has been a problem Mikal Bridges since he joined the Knicksand on Saturday it kept him on the bench for almost the entire fourth quarter of a loss at Utah, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Bridges did not play in the final 10 minutes of the game after going 3-for-15 from the field and 1-for-7 from three-point range. It continued to be a rough season as he posted .469/.304/.636 shooting splits.

“Of course it was difficult for me, but the most important thing is that we win,” said Bruggen. “(Cameron Payne) came in and he played well. He was part of the team that made that run. I was more frustrated that I couldn’t be there to help the team and frustrated that I couldn’t really do much in the first three quarters. But yeah, I understand. We’re trying to win a game, and that’s all I care about, so I think that was the right decision.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters he chose to keep Payne in the game because he brought energy to the team, especially during a 17-0 run in the third quarter that nearly erased a big deficit. Payne ended up playing 31 minutes off the bench and finished with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

“I was just looking for something to help us along the way.” Thibodeau said. “And it wasn’t just Mikal. I thought Cam came in and he gave us a big spark. I almost went back to Jericho (Sims) at the end because I thought his minutes were good for us too. When you go down, like we did, you just look for something to help you along. That’s basically what we were doing.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

• Miles McBride was updated to doubtful on Saturday, but still missed his fifth straight game, Botte added in a separate story. The team is now calling his injury “patella femoral syndrome,” better known as “runner’s knee.” “He’s gone,” Thibodeau said before the game. ‘He’s close. He’s doing more, but he’s not quite there yet. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.’
• The Knicks were disappointed that their defense couldn’t save them on an overall poor shooting night, according to Steve Popper of The New York Post. They built a strong defensive reputation last season but have failed to reach the same level so far. ‘We’ve had problems defensively all season’ Jos Hart said. “If you’re not making shots and you’re not playing well defensively, it’s a recipe for disaster. On the defensive side, we have to figure it out. Offensively, we have enough talent on the offensive end that even if certain guys don’t go that day, we can play well and win games. But we have to solve it defensively.”
• Thibodeau has been a fiery coach throughout his career, but he has never been ejected, according to the Athletic’s James L. Edwards, who talks to several officials about what it’s like dealing with Thibodeau during a game.