The Knicks ended Saturday’s game getting booed off the court by their own fans. Two days later, they didn’t wait nearly as long.
The boos rained down — loudly — as Cooper Flagg stole a pass from Miles McBride and went coast-to-coast to put the Mavericks up 18 points with 7:10 left in the second quarter. Coach Mike Brown called a timeout, but after play resumed, they were quickly down 20. Not long after, the deficit grew to 30. They went into halftime down 28, and the boos returned even louder. By the final whistle, they were met with something even worse — silence, as most fans had already left.
As the Knicks continue to spiral, this represented a new low. This, almost certainly, was their worst loss of the year — at a time when they keep providing new candidates for that dishonor.
The Knicks were finally at full strength. The Mavericks — who entered the clash nine games under .500 — carried an injury list that barely fit on the screen. There were no excuses to be made.
But the Knicks were mauled 114-97 Monday night at Madison Square Garden, extending their losing streak to four. It’s their second four-game skid in their last 11 games. They went 2-9 in those 11 games and are now 7-11 since their NBA Cup triumph. In a season that was set with finals-or-bust expectations, the Knicks sit just two games above the play-in.
It now feels like ages ago that Brown was being praised when his Knicks were firing on all cylinders. The alarm bells around his team keep growing louder, and it was the coach in Jason Kidd — who The Post previously reported the Knicks had strong interest in hiring but were denied permission to interview — who delivered the latest gut punch to Brown’s side.
As has been thematic during this downturn, there was a disturbing lack of resistance defensively. They let the Mavericks shoot 48 percent from the field and 47 percent from 3-point range. Ball-handlers penetrated into their paint with ease.
Max Christie — who entered Monday averaging 12.5 points per game — torched the Knicks, finishing with a season-high 26 points and going 8-for-10 from 3-point range. Naji Marshall — who entered averaging 14.1 points per game — added 19 points. Flagg chipped in 18.
The Knicks themselves went cold offensively again, shooting 40 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point range. It’s the fourth time since Jan. 1 they’ve failed to score 100 points. They outscored the Mavericks by 11 in the second half. But right now, there are no silver linings.
When Karl-Anthony Towns went on a solo 7-0 run midway through the third quarter, the brief set of cheers and “de-fense” chants around MSG almost felt like charity.
Jalen Brunson, returning after missing two games with a sprained ankle, struggled with his shot — he went 9-for-24 from the field and finished with 22 points. Towns picked up a flagrant for kicking Dwight Powell right in the groin while taking a 3-pointer during the second quarter, the only bit of fight he or his teammates showed all game. If you didn’t look closely, it would be hard to tell Mikal Bridges even played. The bench, other than Mitchell Robinson, offered nothing.
Robinson, who had 12 points, 15 rebounds (eight offensive) and two blocks, is the only one who delivered anything to be proud of.
Josh Hart, back after missing last game with a sore right ankle, said he returned from his ankle sprain before he was 100 percent because of the Knicks’ struggles, part of the reason it’s still sore. But having him back in the lineup made no difference.
“If I could,” Hart said about being able to diagnose what’s gone wrong, “I don’t think we’d be in this stretch.”
That’s the most concerning part of this collapse. There is no easy answer.
Perhaps Tom Petty should schedule a concert at the Garden, because the Knicks are Free Fallin’.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
