Bums.
The Knicks don’t look any better without Derek Fisher’s poker face on the sidelines. In fact, they looked a little worse in their seventh straight loss.
At full strength, the Knicks were still outclassed by the awful Nets on Friday in the first game back from the All-Star break as their stated playoff push looks like a farce.
After taking a nine-point first-quarter lead, the Knicks got sloppy, didn’t get back in transition and were outhustled in a 109-98 defeat at Barclays Center. The Knicks (23-33) fell behind by 17 points in the fourth quarter despite a crowd that clearly was in favor of the road club that decided against making a move at Thursday’s trade deadline.
“I thought we gave this game away tonight, especially after that first quarter,’’ Carmelo Anthony said in a quiet Knicks locker room. “They applied a little pressure and we started turning the ball over — 16 turnovers [for] 21 points. That’s the game right there. Not much to say. It was obvious why we lost the game.’’
Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis fell to 0-2 and faces the Timberwolves on Saturday at Minnesota, where he lost 132 games as the head coach from 2009-11. The Knicks, who allowed the Nets (15-40) to shoot 49 percent (8 of 17 from 3-point range), have lost 11 of 12 games as they tumbled six games out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s crunch time now — 26 games left,’’ Anthony said. “Tonight was a game we had an opportunity to get and we didn’t.’’
Anthony had a terrific first period, but tailed off to finish with 22 points, six assists and seven rebounds. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis notched three blocks in the first seven minutes and finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, but had four turnovers.
“We got to have that mentality we want it,’’ Porzingis said. “We lost again. It sucks.’’
Center Brook Lopez led the Nets with 33 points on the night they officially introduced their new general manager, Sean Marks, formerly of the Spurs. Knicks center Robin Lopez, Brook’s twin, disappeared in the second half and finished with 10 points.
Trying some dark humor, Robin said, “He’s incredibly lucky when he plays like that.’’
“Altogether they were more on the same page than we were,” he added.
The Knicks led 52-50 at halftime after letting the Nets get back in it following their 32-23 first period. Anthony was 5 of 6 for 11 points, three assists and three rebounds after 12 minutes. It turned into a mirage.
“I don’t think it was effort,’’ Anthony said. “I though we came out great. We were locked in, focused, felt we had that energy in the first quarter. That quarter looked good. I felt it was clicking.’’
Early in the third, the Nets clicked on a 10-0 run — capped by an Anthony turnover that resulted in a fast-break layup for Donald Sloan (14 points).
An angry Jose Calderon, the lone Knick back on defense, motioned at his mates to come back next time to join him in transition defense. That fast break put the Nets ahead 64-59 and prompted a Rambis time-out with 8:20 left in the third.
During a time-out with 2:13 left in the third, Rambis had words with rarely used Kyle O’Quinn, apparently yanking him from the game. O’Quinn got visibly upset, throwing up his arms and walking away. A couple of teammates came over to settle him down.
“Part of our demise is they ramped up the pressure and we couldn’t handle it and turned the ball over and they scored a lot of points off turnovers,’’ Rambis said.
The Knicks got within four points early in the third before throwing away the moment.
Porzingis and fellow rookie Jerian Grant committed back-to-back turnovers, setting off the Nets on fast-break points, drawing the end closer.
Rambis credited his backcourt off the bench, Grant and Langston Galloway, for their defensive pressure, but nobody else.
“We are going to have to find five guys who can sustain that sort of defensive intensity,” Rambis said.