With Captain Clutch inactive because of a sprained ankle, the Knicks scored just 10 points in the final seven minutes and were overwhelmed down the stretch in a 105-95 Friday night loss to the Clippers. The offense stagnated and produced its lowest point total since Jan. 6, capped by an ugly fourth quarter.

The Knicks’ first game without Jalen Brunson went as expected: hard-fought until the end, where New York missed its captain and All-Star clutch performer.

For those still struggling to come to grips with some front office decisions of recent years, a reunion in Los Angeles on Thursday night may have been tough to swallow as Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks in an OT thriller, 113-109.