Knicks are blown out, booed and losing control of a season with championship aspirations

NEW YORK (AP) — As boos rained down while his team walked off the court after trailing Dallas by 30 points, Knicks coach Mike Brown decided it would be a waste of time to talk Xs and Os in the locker room.

“There was nothing to be said at halftime except for lock in and do your ... do your job,” Brown said Monday, catching himself when he started to use an expletive during his press conference.

His message might've been hard to hear, anyway, above the fans at Madison Square Garden who were loudly showing how fed up they are with a team that's lost control of a season which had championship aspirations.

The Knicks have gone from NBA Cup champions to not even being able to rule out the play-in tournament with a January freefall, losing for the ninth time in 11 games with their 114-97 loss to the Mavericks.

As for what's gone wrong since the Knicks raised the Cup last month in Las Vegas?

“There's been a lot of things to pinpoint, but I mean as a team we know what we have to do,” captain Jalen Brunson said. “It’s either we do it, we care enough to do it, or we don’t.”

Brunson was announced as an All-Star starter earlier Monday, then he and fellow starter Josh Hart were cleared to return from injuries. It had the makings of a celebratory day inside Madison Square Garden.

Instead, the Knicks were behind 16-4 minutes into the game and 75-45 just before halftime.

“I haven't seen this kind of effort that we had today. It was embarrassing,” Hart said.

Brown read off the stats that showed just how embarrassing: 27 fast-break points for the Mavericks in the first half and 28 in the paint — against an injury-depleted opponent without a true post-up player, he noted.

Brown inherited a talented and veteran roster when the Knicks surprisingly fired Tom Thibodeau despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. He had the Knicks off to a 23-9 start, but they are now 25-18 and Brunson was asked how the team starts a soul-searching process.

“It should’ve started a couple week sago but we've got to start tomorrow,” he said.

Brunson was seen during the game televised nationally on NBC trying to urge on his teammates during a second-quarter timeout, but wouldn't say afterward what his message was. Nor could he or Brown explain the no-show in the first half.

The boos largely stopped in the second half, though they returned in the fourth quarter when Karl-Anthony Towns was subbed out of the game. Towns said he understood the frustration on a day the Knicks not only didn't win but didn't “really have a chance.”

“Fans are doing their part and we’ve got to do our part,” Towns said.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

New York Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dribbles against Dallas Mavericks' Dwight Powell, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown stands on the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson (11) defends the ball from Dallas Mavericks' Caleb Martin (16) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Will Smith scored in his second consecutive game after missing a month because of injury, and the San Jose Sharks spoiled Matthew Tkachuk's season debut by beating the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers 4-1 on Monday night in a game highlighted by a rare goalie fight.

Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky beelined out of his crease and all the way down the ice to take on San Jose's Alex Nedeljkovic, who had inserted himself into a scrum in the corner with 14 minutes left. Fans chanted, “Bobby! Bobby!” and cheered the netminder nicknamed “Bob” who has backstopped the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

The second meeting between the teams this season, and first since Nov. 8, got increasingly chippy with pushing and shoving after whistles and more than a few punches thrown.

Between the whistles, the Sharks also got goals from defensemen Vincent Desharnais and Mario Ferraro and 36 saves from Nedeljkovic. Barclay Goodrow sealed it with an empty-netter, and San Jose won hours after general manager Mike Grier signaled his team is going for it this season following a lengthy rebuild by acquiring winger Kiefer Sherwood in a trade with Vancouver.

Tkachuk skated just under 21 minutes and had three shots on goal in his first game since helping Florida repeat and hoisting the Cup in June. The 28-year-old winger, who was picked to play for the U.S. at the Olympics next month in Milan, underwent surgery last summer to deal with a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle.

Eetu Luostarinen scored the Panthers' goal. Bobrovsky allowed three on 27 shots, giving up several juicy rebounds that San Jose capitalized on.

Puck drop was moved up an hour to a 6 p.m. EST start after the Miami Hurricanes made the college football national title game, which was being played in their nearby home stadium.

Sharks: Wrap up their road trip Tuesday night at Tampa Bay.

Panthers: Open a three-game trip Thursday night at Winnipeg.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period of an NHL hockey game Jan. 16, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson, File)