Bridges had the final say by blocking Dennis Schroder’s attempted game-tying layup as time expired. He was mobbed by the Knicks (6-6) while his old team walked away. For Brunson, it was another defining moment in his Knicks tenure to save his team from a near collapse.

Bridges, who the Knicks acquired from the Nets in the summer for a boatload of draft picks, dropped an efficient 22 points in 41 minutes, easing the criticism, though certainly not shutting them up, about his rough start in Manhattan .

Jalen Brunson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left after the Knicks had blown a 21-point lead, and New York edged the Brooklyn Nets 124-122 on Friday night to improve to 2-0 in the NBA Cup.