Sometimes during this wait-til-next-year season, it’s hard to judge a Knicks loss, but Sunday’s was unmistakably an embarrassing stinker.
The Knicks heard their first boos of this developmental season when the first-quarter horror was over and it got worse as coach David Fizdale suffered his most horrific defeat since coming to New York in a 115-89 blowout to the young Magic.
The Knicks fell behind 10-0, didn’t score until five minutes into the contest, trailed 30-10 after one quarter and were down 33 early in the fourth period against a club that hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2011-12 season. The Knicks fell to 4-10 while the Magic moved to 6-7, but are not expected to be a playoff club.
It was a nightmarish evening for almost everyone in the newly unveiled “City Edition’’ navy uniform but especially the starting backcourt as Tim Hardaway Jr. shot 2-of-12 for seven points and Frank Ntilikina played a pitiful first six minutes before being benched for the evening.
“This is like the most disappointing [loss] all season,’’ Hardaway said. “Leaving Toronto wanting to come home and knowing we don’t have a lot of home games this month. It sucked. It sucked coming out here and stinking up the Garden. We can’t let that happen again. Just can’t.”
On a rare bright note, Knicks rookie center Mitchell Robinson recorded a franchise rookie record nine blocks — one shy of the NBA record.
With no legs in the second game of a back-to-back, the Knicks tossed bricks from deep and finished 5-of-28 from the 3-point line.
After three quarters and the Knicks down 87-60, many fans headed for the exits and others chanted, “We Want Baker’’ in honor of out-of-the-rotation cult hero Ron Baker.
Several of the Knicks’ other losses were palatable, even that 23-point defeat in Miami. That was on the road against a playoff-caliber team. Saturday’s 16-point loss in Toronto at least was against a one-loss powerhouse.
This one was inexcusable. Fizdale was fairly giddy Saturday after the blowout loss when his team gave up 128 points, even calling himself “proud.’’
He tried calling two timeouts Sunday night to stem the first-period tide but nothing worked.
In shooting 5-of-23 with eight turnovers in that opening period, the Knicks managed their fewest points in a quarter at home (10) since 2006.
The Knicks starters, who Fizdale praised as a unit he wants to keep together, combined for two points in the first quarter. Only two players scored in the period — Enes Kanter (eight) and Hardaway (two).
And then it didn’t get much better. On the first possession of the second quarter, Harlem’s rookie center Mo Bamba connected on a top-of-the-key jumper in his first NBA shot at the Garden, making it 32-10.
The Knicks didn’t register their first 3-pointer until four minutes into the second period — by Kevin Knox. As Orlando racked up a 65-40 bulge by halftime, the Knicks shot 1-of-15 from beyond the arc.
It was an odd night for starters Robinson and Damyean Dotson. Robinson picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and Fizdale yanked him and didn’t put him back in.
Robinson went on to finish the night with four points, four rebounds and the nine blocks. Fellow rookie Knox also had some life, scoring 15 points (3-of-10, 7-of-10 from the foul line).
Dotson posted all goose eggs in the half — 11 minutes without taking a shot, a free throw, handing out an assist or grabbing rebound.
Hardaway was a horrific 2-of-11 by intermission — 0-for-5 from 3. He shot an airball by about 4 feet in the half’s final minutes, to a new chorus of boos. Through it all, Kanter had his usual double-double off the bench — 16 points and 15 rebounds.
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