Mikal Bridges addresses his role in Deandre Ayton-Monty Williams blowup in Suns loss to Wizards

Mikal Bridges took ownership for his part in Phoenix’s blowup late in Tuesday’s 113-110 loss to Washington at Footprint Center.

Bridges got into it with Deandre Ayton while the Wizards were looking to attempt a free throw with 1:08 remaining in the game after Ayton missed a screen on the other end for Bridges.

"I was just mad and yelling at anything, but offensively it was a play and defensively just a play, me being riled up the whole night," Bridges said after Friday's morning shootaround before Phoenix played Memphis to end a four-game homestand. "It's something we do. I feel like it was longer than usual. Me and (Ayton) usually get into it and then five seconds later, we're like best friends because we can do that to each other."

That led to Wizards guard Bradley Beal smiling and clapping during the Ayton-Bridges spat.

The Wizards later took a timeout to get out of a trap with 43.4 seconds left. During the timeout, Suns coach Monty Williams and Ayton got into a heated exchange that was captured on video and tweeted.

“It was the whole team in those moments," Williams said after Tuesday’s game. "It wasn't just Deandre, it was the whole group out there not executing properly. It was a bit of frustration, but that happens. That was not an isolated one-person or one-player thing."

Three days later, Bridges addressed the situation, as the Suns didn’t practice Wednesday after a back-to-back and announced Wednesday evening they wouldn’t practice Thursday.

“I was totally out of line,” Bridges said Friday. “Just being in front of everybody like that. There are people and players in this league that just kind of do that for show, trying to get on their teammate so the crowd can see it and I’m the last person to do that. So to do that, feel like it was an embarrassment on DA’s part cause I’m going at him like that. It messed me up.”

Bridges said he apologized to Ayton and the team after the game.

“I could’ve got my point across after when it was just us in the huddle or something like that," Bridges continued.

Ayton addressed the situation after Tuesday’s game as the video captured he and Williams going back and forth. The scene evoked memories of Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals the Suns lost to Dallas as Ayton and Williams got into it during that meltdown defeat.

“We weren't really exchanging words," Ayton said after Tuesday’s game. "We're a family. He knows how to talk to his boys and his boys know how to just communicate. Obviously, the whole world saw it, but it's really all love and just getting us back to regroup and just take out the confusion."

The Tuesday exchange was during 15-0 Washington run as Phoenix was in the middle of a four-minute scoring drought.

"Everybody got to see us intensified in the moment," Ayton said later said Tuesday. "Damn, we lost our upper hand. It can get a little emotional. Oh, I thought you said this, but Coach clarified it up in the huddle where we all were exchanging words."

Like Williams said, Bridges said Ayton wasn’t the only one their head coach was addressing.

Williams was also talking to Bridges

“You never really going to know, the Internet captures what it sees, which is fine, but Mont was just trying to control both of us and getting on both of us,” Bridges said. “DA was just frustrated, and I was just quiet in it because I already knew what I did. I messed up. He was yelling at both of us, telling us, like ya’ll two cut it out.”

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mikal Bridges apologized to Deandre Ayton after blowup in Suns loss