PHOENIX — Jalen Brunson couldn’t save the faltering Knicks.
Captain Clutch hesitated even when it mattered most.
Trying to drag his struggling team to a win, Brunson shot just 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter with two goals, both coming in the final 95 seconds of a 112-107 loss to the Suns on Friday.
The biggest fallout occurred with 13.5 seconds left, when Brunson threw an errant pass that was deflected by Grayson Allen.
With the ball headed out of bounds, Mikal Bridges failed to box out Allen, who reached around and threw the ball from Bridges as they ran to the scorer’s table.
It was ruled out on the Knicks, giving the Suns the ball with a 106-103 lead.
From there, Phoenix hit the free throws to send the Knicks to their hotel with another loss.
“I just feel like I have to perform and be better by the end of the night,” said Brunson, who acknowledged that his final turnover was a “careless pass.”
“That’s when I’m at my best. I’m proud of that. … I just have to get better and be healthier and more fundamental.”
As team owner James Dolan flew to Phoenix and sat on the baseline, the Knicks degenerated into a sloppy mess with 18 turnovers and another dud from Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored just 15 points in 33 minutes.
Dolan’s team (24-14) lost for the fifth time in the last six games, a stretch marked by poor play on both sides of the ball.
The owner’s presence feels more consequential in the wake of his WFAN interview Monday, when Dolan upped the ante on the finale or bust. He rarely attends road games and it’s unclear why Dolan showed up in Phoenix, but it’s worth noting that his entertainment venue – The Sphere – is nearby in Las Vegas.
“We want to get to the final. And we have to win the final,” Dolan said this week. “This is sport and anything can happen. But to reach the final, we absolutely have to do it.”
They haven’t looked good lately.
And certainly not in Phoenix.
Leading by two with 4:11 to go, the Knicks went ahead with just two points for about four minutes. In total, they scored 32 percent with six sales figures in the fourth quarter.
OG Anunoby pulled off a loss by missing two of three free throws with 2.2 seconds left.
“When you have 17 turnovers for 22 points less turnovers, compared to their 10 turnovers for 11 points less turnovers, it’s going to be tough to overcome down the road,” coach Mike Brown said.
The Suns (23-15) were supposed to fade into a rebuild after trading Kevin Durant, but they were much better than expected thanks to the inspired play of newcomer Dillon Brooks and the restored excellence of Devin Booker.
Brooks, the fiery guard acquired from Houston for Durant, has been a revelation offensively this season, dropping 20 of his 27 points in the first half on Friday.
Booker added 31 points and eight assists.
“They played good basketball,” Brown said. “They have some experienced guys that have been through the fire, you have a guy in Dillon Brooks that has shown that he can clearly defend and give an edge to this basketball team and get it done on the offensive end of the floor.
“Book is obviously an All-Star. They get out and run, crash the glass. They do a pretty good job defensively overall and try to put pressure on you. They’ll take the full court. There’s a lot of things we’re going to have to do to make sure we uphold or follow our principles tonight. They can attack in a lot of different ways.”
The Knicks, meanwhile, were regrouping.
Brown held a workout at their facility on Tuesday — their first workout at home in weeks — and adjusted his schedules. He has another workout scheduled for Saturday in Phoenix to work on those things.
The Knicks need it.
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