Knicks hope chemistry looks better vs. Pacers than it did in Celtics debacle

Mikal Bridges has played in the Garden as a collegian at Villanova, as a visiting player in the NBA and in the preseason wearing a Knicks uniform.But after an otherwise forgettable debut for their new team Tuesday night in Boston, Bridges and fellow newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns will play their first regular-season game at MSG on Friday night against the Pacers, who eliminated the Knicks in the playoffs last spring.“Excited, man, really excited,” Bridges said after Thursday’s practice in Tarrytown.“I mean, I felt the energy in the preseason games.

So just excited to go out there and get an opportunity to go get a win.It’s gonna be real fun.”Tuesday’s opener in Beantown wasn’t fun for anyone associated with the Knicks as the Celtics raised their latest championship banner before blowing out the visitors while tying an NBA record with 29 made 3-pointers.Towns had a quiet 12 points and seven rebounds, and Bridges finished with 16 after being held scoreless in the first half.

He also admittedly had a poor game defensively while primarily guarding Jayson Tatum, who buried eight treys and finished with 37 points.“I think all of us were just not putting enough pressure on the ball, and I think they just felt too comfortable,” Bridges said.“So I think it starts with being aggressive on ball, putting pressure, coming off ball screens from there, and then flying around and being on their toes, being right there when they’re about to shoot.”Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau noted that OG Anunoby also spent time guarding Tatum, but after dissecting the game film, he described the blowout as “a compilation of things from A to Z defensively: how we guarded the ball, our body position, challenging shots, giving up second shots.

So we’ve gotta clean that up.”Bridges, who missed 17 of 19 from 3-point range in the preseason, was encouraged that he shot 2 of 3 from long distance in the second half against the Celtics and made seven of his final eight shot att...