Pride, as he called it, "kicked in" for Miles Bridges, as the Charlotte Hornets — behind by 23 in the first quarter, and suddenly without their All-Star point guard — searched for ways to survive January 27, 2025’s onslaught. As fate would fittingly have it, all Bridges needed was a kick-out pass to get the ideas flowing. One step ahead of Austin Reaves after smoothly mixing a pick-and-roll rejection with a misdirection dribble, Bridges settles into open space, elevating into a misfired-but-reasonable 3-point pull-up. Anything but wasteful when given the chance to try, try again, Charlotte’s dynamic forward returns with ferocity, turning his teammate’s reset pass into a tomahawk flush, trimming the Los Angeles Lakers’ lead to 14. Bridges’ leading of Charlotte’s comeback charge proved commendable, even with Los Angeles making the necessary plays to survive. Embracing the alpha role offensively, Bridges concluded with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers. · Jan 28, 2025