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New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives past Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks continue downward spiral with blowout home loss to Mavericks

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 9:03 PM ET

The New York Knicks are down bad.

On Monday, their downward spiral continued in a 114-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks (18-26), New York's ninth loss in its last 11 games.

The Mavericks led by as many as 30 points. Guard Max Christie scored a game-high 26 on 9-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Knicks made nine threes as a team. The Dallas bench outscored New York's, 46-29.

Knicks can't stop awful slump with ugly home loss to the Mavericks

Entering the second half of the season, the Knicks (25-18, third in Eastern Conference) are playing by far their worst basketball of the season. Beginning with a New Year's Eve loss to the San Antonio Spurs (30-13, second in Western Conference), only the New Orleans Pelicans (10-35, 15th in Western Conference) have a worse record than New York. The Knicks are No. 25 in scoring (110.6 points per game) during the span. They've been equally bad defensively, ranking No. 25 in points allowed (117.7 per game).

SNY's Ian Begley contextualized the most recent loss on social media, showing it has a credible claim as the worst of the Knicks' season.

"They'd lost 8 of 10 coming into [the] game. They had Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart back from injuries. And they were playing a shorthanded Dallas team," Begley wrote.

Hard to overstate how bad this loss was for Knicks. They'd lost 8 of 10 coming into DAL game. They had Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart back from injuries. And they were playing a shorthanded Dallas team. They trailed by as many as 30 in 2nd half. Starters had 13 turnovers. Brunson…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 20, 2026

Brunson (ankle) had missed New York's previous two games while Hart, who was also dealing with an ankle injury, sat out Saturday's loss to the Phoenix Suns (25-17). Their return wasn't nearly enough against the Mavericks, who remain without star forward Anthony Davis. Instead, it only increased the Knicks' panic level.

Following the loss, head coach Mike Brown didn't offer any solutions, only telling reporters, "Bottom line: We got to lock in and do our job." (h/t The Athletic's James L. Edwards III)

Mike Brown: “Bottom line: We got to lock in and do our job.” He said there was nothing to say at halftime except “Lock in and do your job.” Saved himself from an F-bomb
— James L. Edwards III (@jledwardsiii.bsky.social) 2026-01-20T01:04:25.942Z

With the slump, New York has fallen 6.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons (30-10, first in Eastern Conference) for the East's top spot. It's also just 1.5 games ahead of a trio of teams that sit at Nos. 5-7, putting it perilously close to play-in territory.

The Knicks have nearly a half-season left to get back on track before the playoffs begin, so now's not the time to panic or throw in the towel. It is, however, time for New York to show more urgency. The team is allowing the third-most fast-break points per game (18) over their last 11 games. Against Dallas, it gave up 32 fast-break points while only scoring four.

The effort isn't there right now, which is something Brown must fix to get the Knicks out of their current malaise. Otherwise, this current nosedive could define their season.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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