Watch Knicks’ Mikal Bridges make safest effort to preserve streak

With rest being the focus in their regular-season finale, the New York Knicks still gave Mikal Bridges a short appearance to keep his durability streak alive. The 29-year-old checked in for just 23 seconds in Sunday’s 110-96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, extending his streak of consecutive games played to 638, the longest active run in the NBA and the eighth-longest in league history.

Bridges started the game as the only active Knicks starter, with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby all sitting out as New York had already secured the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Immediately after the opening possession, Bridges intentionally fouled on defense and exited with 11:37 remaining in the first quarter.

Mikal Bridges played in his 638th consecutive game and checked out 23 seconds in

That's the longest active streak in the NBA pic.twitter.com/3hdIw8DUea

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 12, 2026

This was the third time in the past four seasons Bridges has played fewer than 15 seconds in a finale to preserve the streak. He has never missed a game in his NBA career and has not sat out since high school, a stretch that includes 116 college appearances at Villanova and eight consecutive full NBA seasons.

The streak continued its rapid climb this season as he appeared in all 82 games, averaging 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. While he surpassed names like John Stockton and Andre Miller, the all-time record of 1,192 consecutive games held by AC Green remains far out of reach.

Even in a “load management” era, Bridges’ availability stands apart. He was also the only active player within 300 games of such a streak before Harrison Barnes saw his run end earlier this year.

The Knicks finished the regular season 53-29 and will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday, April 18.

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