Knicks Lose Fifth Straight Game, Fall Back to .500

Ten days ago, the Knicks were the NBA's hottest team, riding a league-high eight-game winning streak... Today, the Knicks are the NBA's coldest team, mired in a league-high five-game losing streak.

Immediately after racking up a mind-boggling 60 points, 21 rebounds and ten assists in the Mavericks' epic comeback victory over New York on Tuesday, Luka Doncic said he was "tired as hell" and that he needed a "recovery beer."

Well, Thursday night in San Antonio, it looked like it was the Knicks who were hungover. 

New York, hoping to snap a four-game losing skid, was sluggish and a step slow all evening, as the Spurs consistently beat the 'Bockers to loose balls and tipped rebounds en route to a 122-115 win.

Julius Randle remained red-hot offensively (more on that in a bit), and Immanuel Quickley scored a career-high 36 points, but no other Knick scored more than 11 points, and NY's team defense was woefully inadequate once again. 

The Spurs bullied New York inside, outscoring the Knicks by 20 points in the paint (62-42) and shooting over 51% from the floor. 

Ten days ago, the Knicks were the NBA's hottest team, riding a league-high eight-game winning streak.

Today, the Knicks are the NBA's coldest team, mired in a league-high five-game losing streak. 

Earlier this month, it seemed New York had established an identity as a team willing and capable of getting after it on the defensive end each night. During their win streak, New York posted the best Defensive Rating in the NBA, allowing fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions. 

It's been the exact opposite during NY's current skid. The Knicks have given up more than 112 points in each loss, allowing a league-high 125.6 points per 100 possessions over their past five games. (The only other team allowing more than 121 points per 100 possessions over this stretch is the Spurs.)