Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Kalbrosky

Mikal Bridges was upset Jacque Vaughn limited his minutes in second game of back-to-back

Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges has the longest streak of consecutive games played held by any active player in the NBA.

As the old saying goes, the best ability is availability and that is a massively important part of Bridges’ identity. He hasn’t missed a game since his junior year of high school.

While he has said the number of games played in the streak itself is more of a media narrative and construction than one he tells himself, he has always said that he is “always gonna play” no matter the situation if he is healthy.

So it was especially frustrating for Bridges to only play 13 minutes when the Nets were defeated by the Bucks on Wednesday. When asked about the decision, Bridges said he “didn’t like the choice” and that he was not a fan.

Bridges maintained that he didn’t need any rest in this match but was given time on the bench anyway.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn explained that Bridges had played 40 minutes the previous night and he felt it “wouldn’t be wise” to use him a similar way just one day later.

After the game, Vaughn told reporters that Bridges “has a streak going on” that no one wanted to see end.

Bridges was told about Vaughn’s comments and he maintained that he was healthy and felt he should contribute if he can.

Even though Bridges’ consecutive games played streak remains intact, his reaction says a lot about how important it is for him to play as often as he possibly can.

This is a situation that likely should have had a resolution between the two parties before the game began so they were both on the same page when they spoke to reporters.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.