NEW YORK — As boos echoed while his team exited the court after falling to the Dallas Mavericks by 30 points, Knicks coach Mike Brown concluded that discussing strategies in the locker room would be futile.
“There was nothing to be said at halftime except for lock in and do your … do your job,” Brown remarked Monday, catching himself before using an expletive during his press conference.
His message may have struggled to cut through the din of fans at Madison Square Garden, who were vocally expressing their dissatisfaction with a team that is losing grip on a season that once seemed destined for championship contention.
The Knicks have plummeted from NBA Cup champions to a team now at risk of having to enter the play-in tournament, suffering their ninth loss in 11 games following a 114-97 defeat to the Mavericks.
What went wrong since the Knicks lifted the Cup last month in Las Vegas?
“There’ve been many factors to identify, but as a team, we understand what needs to be done,” captain Jalen Brunson stated. “It’s about whether we choose to do it and care enough to make it happen.”
Brunson was named an All-Star starter earlier on Monday, and he and fellow starter Josh Hart were cleared to return from injuries. It seemed like a day for celebration inside Madison Square Garden.
Instead, the Knicks found themselves down 16-4 minutes into the game and 75-45 just before halftime. This marked the sixth occasion the Knicks have allowed 75 points in a first half at MSG.
“I haven’t seen this level of effort that we displayed today. It was disgraceful,” Hart remarked.
Brown listed the statistics illustrating just how shameful: 27 fast-break points allowed to the Mavericks in the first half and 28 in the paint—against an opponent suffering from injuries and lacking a true post-up player, he noted.
Brown took over a talented and veteran squad when the Knicks made the surprising decision to fire Tom Thibodeau, despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. After starting strong at 23-9, the team has since slumped to 25-18.
When asked how the team could begin a process of introspection, Brunson replied, “It should’ve started a couple of weeks ago, but we need to begin tomorrow.”
Viewers on NBC saw Brunson during the game trying to rally his teammates during a second-quarter timeout, though he wouldn’t disclose his specific message afterward. Neither he nor Brown could clarify the team’s lackluster showing in the first half.
The boos faded in the second half but returned in the fourth quarter when Karl-Anthony Towns exited the game. Towns acknowledged the fans’ frustration on a day the Knicks not only failed to win but also “didn’t really have a chance.”
“Fans are doing their part, and we need to do ours,” Towns concluded.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, celebrated the return of star rookie Cooper Flagg, who scored 18 points in his first professional game at Madison Square Garden after missing Dallas’ previous two games, both victories over the Utah Jazz, due to a sprained left ankle. The No. 1 pick also grabbed seven rebounds.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
