The ‘huge’ test Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride passed for Knicks in Game 1 that could be series boon

Nypost · May 05, 2026 · 633 words · By Jared Schwartz

Player Performance Analysis NBA Playoff Defensive Strategy

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/sports/huge-test-mikal-bridges-miles-mcbride-passe…

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Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 4

schedule Pending 2

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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“Josh Hart spent the end of the first round guarding the Hawks’ most dangerous guard, CJ McCollum.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm CJ McCollum played for the Atlanta Hawks and faced the New York Knicks in the first round. One source explicitly mentions the Knicks 'taking down CJ McCollum and the Atlanta Hawks' and another discusses the Knicks' strategy against him in that series.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christian James McCollum (born September 19, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CJ_McCollum

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joshua Aaron Hart (born March 6, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He holds the Knicks franchise record for the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Hart

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2023–24 season. The playoffs began on April 20 and concluded on June 17 with the Boston Celtics winni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NBA_playoffs

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Mikal Bridges, back as the Knicks point-of-attack defender, got the assignment [to guard Maxey].”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources discuss Mikal Bridges being a primary defender for Tyrese Maxey in the series between the Knicks and 76ers.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Isaiah Stewart II (born May 22, 2001), nicknamed Beef Stew, is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basket…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_Stewart

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2022–23 season. The playoffs began on April 15 and concluded on June 12 with the Denver Nuggets winning the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_NBA_playoffs

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 NBA playoffs is the ongoing postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2025–26 season. The playoffs began on April 18 and will end with the conclusion of the 2026 NBA Fina…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NBA_playoffs

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“When he came out of the game, it was Miles McBride who matched up with Maxey.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific detail about Miles McBride matching up with Maxey after Bridges left the game appears in one specific reporting snippet, but is not independently corroborated by other provided sources.

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web search NEUTRAL — The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older Englis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile

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web search NEUTRAL — Instant free online tool for mile to kilometer conversion or vice versa. The mile [mi, mi (Int)] to kilometer [km] conversion table and conversion steps are also listed. Also, explore tools to convert…
https://www.unitconverters.net/length/miles-to-km.htm

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web search NEUTRAL — At Miles College, tradition is the foundation of who we are. For generations, our institution has empowered students through faith, scholarship, and service, cultivating leaders who uplift their commu…
https://www.miles.edu/

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“Maxey finished with just 13 points on rough 3-for-9 shooting from the field while missing all three 3-pointers he took.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web results (NBA.com and a news report) provide the exact same box score stats for Tyrese Maxey: 13 points, 3-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, and 7-7 FT.

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web search NEUTRAL — The 2025-26 NBA season stats per game for Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers on ESPN. Includes full stats, per opponent, for regular and postseason.
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4431678/tyrese-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Maxey registered 13 points (3-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 7-7 FT), three rebounds and two assists across 27 minutes during Monday's 137-98 loss to the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/3142479/tyrese-maxey/

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“None of those three field goals came against Bridges or McBride.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that none of the field goals came against Bridges or McBride is stated in one source, but not confirmed by others.

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web search NEUTRAL — None of those three field goals came against Bridges or McBride. He committed four turnovers. It was his lowest point total since Jan. 26. In the first round against the Celtics, he averaged 26.9 poin…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/sports/huge-test-mikal-bridges…

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web search NEUTRAL — View the profile of Philadelphia 76ers Guard Tyrese Maxey on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4431678/tyrese-maxey

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web search NEUTRAL — Mikal Bridges can earn his Knicks keep by winning matchup against Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers aren't the cleanest matchup for the Knicks, considering their roster composition. Maxey being the 1B to Joel …
https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/onsi/knicks-tyrese-maxey-conce…

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“He committed four turnovers.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that Maxey committed four turnovers is stated in one source, but not corroborated by the other box score sources provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — Tyrese Kendrid Maxey (born November 4, 2000), is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played college basket…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrese_Maxey

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web search NEUTRAL — Tyrese Maxey lifted the Sixers to a 118-114 overtime road victory Sunday over the Pacers, exploding for 45 points after starting 2 for 11 from the floor. Going into the game, he'd been shooting just 2…
https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers…

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web search NEUTRAL — The 76ers watched Maxey turn the ball over to Josh Hart. Donte DiVincenzo missed a 3-pointer, but the Sixers let Isaiah Hartenstein snatch the offensive rebound. DiVincenzo hit his second chance 3 for…
https://nypost.com/2024/04/23/sports/76ers-set-to-lodge-comp…

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“It was his lowest point total since Jan. 26.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that 13 points was his lowest total since Jan 26 is stated in one source, but not independently verified by other provided evidence.

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web search NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 NBA season is the 80th season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 21, 2025 and ended on April 12, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_NBA_season

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web search NEUTRAL — Maxey slogged through his worst scoring performance of the season in a 115-102 loss to the Suns on Wednesday, finishing with six points on 3-of-13 shooting (but totaling seven assists) to begin a cruc…
https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-tyrese-maxey-suns-nic…

verified

“In the first round against the Celtics, he averaged 26.9 points on 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 41.8 percent shooting from 3-point range.”

VERIFIED

An ESPN source explicitly confirms that Maxey averaged 26.9 points in the series against the Celtics.

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web search NEUTRAL — Tyrese Kendrid Maxey, is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. He previously played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrese_Maxey

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web search NEUTRAL — He averaged 26.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.3 three-pointers in the series. Heading into the second round against New York, Maxey may need to take his game to yet another leve…
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4431678/tyrese-maxey

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web search NEUTRAL — Checkout the latest stats of Tyrese Maxey. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/maxeyty01.htm…

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“he took seven free throws, making all of them.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (NBA.com and a news report) confirm the stat line of 7-7 from the free-throw line.

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“He didn’t make a field goal until midway through the second quarter.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the specific timing of Maxey's first made field goal in the game.

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“His nine shots were by far the fewest he took so far in the postseason — and fewest in any game since Feb. 3.”

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“coach Mike Brown said Tuesday”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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The ‘huge’ test Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride passed for Knicks in Game 1 that could be series boon

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