Knicks look lifeless again in concerning loss to woeful Hornets

CHARLOTTE — The Knicks better hope this is the low point, because the playoffs are coming soon, and they looked Thursday night like a lifeless first-round knockout.Tom Thibodeau’s squad was overmatched all evening by the sad-sack Hornets, a team with just 18 wins that coasted to a 115-98 victory.The Knicks bench, an issue all season, was a no-show while getting outscored by Charlotte’s reserves 37-11.In fact, Knicks reserves were scoreless until the fourth quarter.Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet and Cam Payne combined to shoot just 3-for-16.Concerns about depth weren’t alleviated.

And without Jalen Brunson, the offense continues to sputter.The Knicks (43-26), who dropped to 3-4 since Brunson turned his ankle against the Lakers, trailed for the final three quarters and by double digits for the entire final period.They shot just 40 percent, including 25.6 percent from beyond the arc, and were flat from tipoff.The arena was filled with Knicks fans, a common occurrence in Charlotte, and they never had an opportunity to get excited.The Hornets (18-51) are a miserable team with the third-worst record in the NBA.But they were closer than usual to full strength, with LaMelo Ball at point guard and Miles Bridges at power forward.Ball, a skilled offensive ball handler with a track record of injuries/losing, caught fire in the second quarter and finished with 25 points and eight assists in just 26 minutes.

Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points, 10-of-21 shooting) and OG Anunoby (25 points, 7-of-19 shooting) led the Knicks in scoring.Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride combined to shoot just 6-for-22 on 3-pointers.The Knicks desperately need Brunson, who, according to Thibodeau, removed his walking boot and started light shooting.That was the only positive development from Charlotte.The Knicks are at the end of their most road-heavy stretch of the season.

Thursday represented their 11th game away from MSG in the past 13.They were on the second night of a back-to-back a...