The Knicks ended Saturday’s game being booed off the field by their own fans. Two days later they didn’t wait that long.
Boos rained down — loudly — when Cooper Flagg stole a pass from Miles McBride and went coast-to-coast to give the Mavericks an 18-point lead with 7:10 left in the second quarter. Coach Mike Brown called a timeout, but after play resumed, they quickly trailed by 20. Not long after, the deficit grew to 30. They went into halftime trailing by 28, and the boos returned even louder. At the final whistle they were confronted with something even worse: silence, as most of the fans had already left.
As the Knicks continue to spiral, this marked a new low. This was almost certainly their biggest loss of the year – at a time when they continue to provide new candidates for that disgrace.
The Knicks were finally at full strength. The Mavericks – who entered the game 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 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, extending their losing streak to four. It is their second four-match skid in their last eleven games. They went 2-9 in those eleven games and are now 7-11 since their NBA Cup win. In a season that played out with expectations of finals or failure, the Knicks are just two games above the play-in.
It now feels like ages ago that Brown was praised when his Knicks were firing on all cylinders. The alarm bells around his team are growing louder, and it was coach Jason Kidd — whom The Post previously reported the Knicks had strong interest in hiring but were not allowed to interview — who dealt Brown the final blow.
As has often been the case during this downturn, there has been a disturbing lack of resistance defensively. They allowed the Mavericks to shoot 48 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range. Ball handlers penetrated 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 scored 18.
The Knicks themselves went cold again offensively, shooting 40 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range. It is the fourth time since January 1 that they have 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 cheers and “defense” chants around MSG almost felt like charity.
Jalen Brunson, returning after missing two games with a sprained ankle, struggled with his shot, going 9-for-24 from the field and finishing with 22 points. Towns was flagged for kicking Dwight Powell right in the groin while taking a three-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 that Mikal Bridges played at all. The bank offered nothing, other than Mitchell Robinson.
Robinson, who had 12 points, 15 rebounds (eight offensive) and two blocks, is the only one who delivered something to be proud of.
Josh Hart, back after missing the last game with a sore right ankle, said he returned from his ankle sprain before he was 100 percent because of the Knicks’ issues, part of the reason it’s still sore. But having him back in the lineup made no difference.
“If I could,” Hart said of being able to diagnose what went wrong, “I don’t think we’d be in this trajectory.”
That’s the most worrying part of this collapse. There is no simple answer.
Maybe Tom Petty should schedule a concert at the Garden because the Knicks are Free Fallin’.
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