HOUSTON — The Knicks arrived with something to prove. Then they proved nothing. Just more of the same. Worse, actually.
Coach Mike Brown’s side has now gone 25 days without beating a team with a winning record, continuing that streak with Tuesday night’s ugly 111-94 loss to the Rockets.
They again looked flustered offensively, a step slow defensively. They’re certainly not carrying the look of a title contender.
Jalen Brunson was woeful while flustered by Houston’s switching defense, managing just 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting with three turnovers.
Karl-Anthony Towns was better but not by much, shooting 7-for-17 for 22 points.
Meanwhile, the Rockets (46-29) carved up New York’s defense with precision, getting 27 points from old man Kevin Durant while shooting 54 percent overall and 43 percent from 3-point range.
The Knicks (48-28) were never in the fight. They lost every statistical battle — points, rebounds, turnovers, assists. They trailed for the final 47 minutes and by 20 heading into the fourth quarter. They’ve dropped three straight overall and five consecutive against winning teams.
In the big picture, New York is still third in the East but dangerously close to falling into fourth, leaving Toyota Center just a half-game above the Cavaliers — who played a late game Tuesday night against the Lakers. It’s getting precarious with the playoffs creeping closer.
The Knicks don’t stand a chance if they’re playing like they did last week. Some of it was predictable. Brown’s team has had problems dealing with long and athletic defenses, especially when they’re able to switch on every screen and apply pressure like the Rockets. It stalls Brunson’s offense, and that happened again Tuesday.
The point guard endured one of his worst performances of the season.
The start was a disaster class for the Knicks.
They trailed 12-1 after three minutes, then 22-5 after five minutes. They were wilting under Houston’s intense switching defense, failing to generate good opportunities while missing six of their first seven 3-point attempts.
On the other end, the Knicks were slow to rotate and allowed Durant open jumpers — about as efficient an attempt as it gets in the NBA. Brown burned two timeouts in the opening seven minutes. They trailed the Rockets after the first quarter, 37-21.
The Knicks settled down a little bit to start the second quarter and cut the deficit to four, largely because of Jose Alvarado’s injection of energy and shotmaking. But the recovery was short-lived.
The Knicks were soon down by 19 and went into the break with a 63-50 deficit. It was over. And the conclusion was deflating.
The Knicks were close to full strength. Miles McBride was unexpectedly on the active list, just two days after leaving a loss to the Thunder and appearing to aggravate the area of his surgically repaired sports hernia.
Still, McBride struggled to regain his form. After returning Sunday from a 28-game absence, he missed his first eight shots — including five to start Tuesday’s contest — and finished with just three points on 1-for-9 from the field.
Mikal Bridges pulled his regular Houdini act with just seven points in 34 minutes on just four shot attempts. OG Anunoby was also missing in action with eight points in 38 minutes.
Alvarado was a boost off the bench with 12 points in 12 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting. His strong performance arrived as Brown nails down a playoff rotation, with consideration for Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson or Tyler Kolek as the backup guard.
Kolek picked up his second straight DNP on Tuesday.
“Tyler has had a whale of a second year. And he’s gotten a lot better this year than he was last year. You can see his confidence not just in his game and even the way he talks and goes about his business. So it’s just a matter of time for him. But Jose has got a little bit more experience in him. He’s a seasoned vet,” Brown said, explaining why Alvarado is getting the nod for now.
“He brings a quickness to the table that Tyler doesn’t quite have. But there are things that Tyler brings to the table too, he’s just younger. I’m going with Jose and Tyler’s got to stay ready like everybody else. And his number can be called at any time. And if his number is called, he’s got to go out there and help us win.”
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