DETROIT — Mikal Bridges believes Pistons fans should pick a different strategy. The current one is not going to work on Jalen Brunson.
Fans routinely booed Brunson every time he got the ball and chanted “F–k you Brunson” throughout the Knicks’ 118-116 Game 3 win over the Pistons on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.
“That’s nothing,” Bridges said after practice on Saturday. “Words ain’t gonna hurt him. That’s wasting their breath or just to get the crowd going. But that don’t bother him at all.”
Brunson finished the game with 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Mitchell Robinson did not practice on Saturday due to an illness.
But coach Tom Thibodeau said he should be good to go for Game 4 on Sunday.
He played 16 minutes in Game 3 and recorded two points, four rebounds and two steals.
For the series, he’s played a total of 54 minutes and recorded eight points, 17 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, who missed Games 2 and 3 with a knee injury, is day to day, coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Saturday.
“He’s been working,” Bickerstaff said. “Getting better every day.”
He was not sure if Stewart would be available on Sunday for Game 4.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau played his starting lineup together for 31 minutes in Game 3 — a big increase from the first two games of the series.
“The game tells you what to do,” Thibodeau said. “You’re trying to find a rhythm in the game with units. It’s easy to look at a boxscore after and say what do you have to do to get this guy going. It’s more how does a group function together?
“How do they create rhythm for each other, how do they function as a unit — both on offense and defense? So you’re looking for the right combinations and everything does matter — each possession matters.”
