Depleted Knicks suffer sloppy loss to Suns as…
Down by seven with just over a minute left, Karl-Anthony Towns had a wide-open three from the top of the key, a probability to cut the Knicks deficit to 4 and make it fascinating. But he airballed. It was becoming, and the MSG crowd rained boos down on the court.
This is more than a rut. The Knicks — without Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart on Saturday — are starting to spiral, as they fell 106-99 to the Suns at Madison Square Garden.
“You don’t ever want to have boos, but at the end of the day, the fans here are passionate and you respect and embrace their passion,” coach Mike Brown said. “But it hurts. It hurts the staff, it hurts the players.”
In a signal of just how poorly issues are going for them at the second, they went on a 16-0 run to go up by 10 factors in the third quarter, but still managed to end the quarter down three. That’s because, after one of their best stretches in weeks, they let the Suns close the third quarter on a 13-0 run and undo all the great that they’d executed.
Karl-Anthony Towns argues with referee Suyash Mehta during the second half of the Knicks’ 106-99 loss to the Suns on Jan. 17, 2026 at Madison Square Garden. Robert Sabo for New York Post
That’s the best way it’s been not too long ago for the Knicks. Too many dangerous moments outweighing something optimistic.
Yes, they have been short-handed without Brunson and Hart, both sidelined with proper ankle accidents. But the Knicks had over $134 million in firepower on the court in Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. It’s onerous to commit 17 turnovers and shoot as badly as the Knicks did, however, and win.
So the alarm bells only continue to ring louder and louder.
“A lot,” Towns said of the frustration degree around the group. “I don’t like losing any games, so of course, for me, the concern is winning the next one. Just staying focused on the task at hand, winning games and giving our fans something to cheer for.”
It dropped them to 2-8 in their past 10 video games and 7-10 since successful the NBA Cup. They’ve gone on a four-game and this current three-game dropping streak since the in-season event.
It’s not just the canine days of the season. This is a extended stretch.
Devin Booker, returning after lacking one sport with his own ankle injury, harm the Knicks with 27 factors. Collin Gillespie made the Knicks dizzy in the fourth quarter – he scored eight in the period as the Suns pulled away.
Og Anunoby seems to make a transfer on Oso Ighodaro during the second half of the Knicks’ 106-99 loss to the Suns on Jan.17, 2026 at Madison Square Garden. Robert Sabo for New York Post
And the Suns obtained strong manufacturing from their bench, Grayson Allen and Jordan Goodwin including 16 and 13 factors. In complete, the Suns bench outscored the Knicks bench 39-14.
There has been so a lot discuss not too long ago about the lax Knicks protection. But it wasn’t the largest drawback on Saturday. They shot just 40 p.c from the sphere on offense and had a nine-point drawback in factors conceded off turnovers. It’s the fifth sport since Jan. 1 they’ve scored 107 or fewer factors. It’s the third time they’ve scored fewer than 100 in that stretch.
Towns, Anunoby and Miles McBride’s closing numbers look OK — they completed with 23, 21 and 23 factors, respectively. But they went quiet in the fourth quarter, during which the Knicks have been outscored by 4 factors.
“It’s a long season,” Anunoby said. “Anyone who’s been in the NBA a long time knows it goes like this. Especially, an 82-game season, there’s gonna be ups and downs. You just continue pushing.”
Miles McBride reacts after hitting a 3-pointer during the Knicks’ loss to the Suns at the Garden. Robert Sabo for NY Post
The Suns entered Sunday fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounds per sport. Without Hart, the same old Knicks benefit on the glass went lacking. During a five-minute stretch in the second quarter, the Suns grabbed 4 offensive rebounds and transformed them into 9 second-chance factors. They completed with a four-point benefit in second-chance factors.
“There’s concern there, but not to the point where we’re gonna overhaul everything,” Brown said. “We gotta work. We gotta look in the mirror, see how we can individually help the group, starting with me.”
The Knicks left the West Coast with Draymond Green taunting Towns as a lasting image. And now, they started a homestand with their own followers fed up with what they noticed.
Title contender? Right now, the Knicks are manner nearer to the play-in than the top of the East.
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