Knicks’ winning streak ends with disappointing clunker against Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — The Knicks could not fully salvage a shooting clunker Saturday night, and their longest winning streak of the season is history. 

The Knicks used a 17-0 run to erase all but two of a 19-point hole in the third quarter, but their shooters went cold down the stretch and their four-game surge was halted with a 121-106 loss to the Jazz at Delta Center. 

Imported starters Karl-Anthony Towns (16 points) and Mikal Bridges (seven) combined to shoot 9-for-34 (26.5 percent) from the field, including 14 misses in 16 attempts from 3-point range. 

OG Anunoby buried seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 27 points to lead the Knicks, who will continue this five-game road trip Monday night in Denver.

Jalen Brunson added 23 and eight assists for the Knicks (9-7), while Lauri Markkanen scored 34 for the Jazz (4-12). 

After notching at least 30 assists in each of the previous three games — for the first time since 1994 — the Knicks finished with 25 to fail to make it four in a row for the first time since a seven-game streak during the 1979-80 season. 

Tom Thibodeau had pushed back earlier Saturday on the notion that he’s known more as a defensive coach than an offensive one.

The Knicks entered the game second in the league in offensive rating with 122.1 points per 100 possessions, but 21st in defensive rating at 115.6 per 100. 

“Well, I think that rarely do people do the homework. So it’s a narrative, whatever the narrative is, you tend to be, everyone’s put in a box,” Thibodeau said before the game. “So it’s, you never let the facts get in the way. We had a top-five offense in Chicago, and had a top five offense in Minnesota. 

“I think people try to, and there’s a lot of narratives that you could create around certain things. And I always feel like, whatever the strength of your club is, that’s what you should play towards.” 

The Knicks fell behind 13-4 in the first five minutes, and they trailed by as many as 13 in the opening quarter.

But Anunoby buried three 3-pointers and Bridges went coast-to-coast for a dunk off a steal for an 11-0 run that slashed the deficit to two.

Rookie guard Tyler Kolek and Bridges also nailed treys as the Knicks pulled even at 28-28 through one. 

The Jazz went back up by eight early in the second on a three-point play by Collin Sexton and a long-range bucket by Johnny Juzang.

The Knicks’ hole was back to a dozen on a 3 by Keyonte George and an inside bucket by Drew Eubanks with 4:04 left in the half. 

George added a runner at the buzzer as the Knicks allowed 38 points in the quarter to trail 66-51 at intermission.

The Knicks sank just 7 of 26 from beyond the arc — four of them by Anunoby — and shot 38.5 percent overall through two quarters, while the Jazz finished above 50 percent in both field goals (54.3) and 3-pointers made (10-for-19) with Markkanen netting a team-high 19 points. 

Utah pushed its cushion to a game-high 19 in the opening minute of the third, and the Knicks still trailed 77-58 midway through the quarter. 

The Knicks cranked it up defensively, however, and scored the next 17, including multiple 3s and dunks by Anunoby, including a midcourt steal and slam for a 77-75 game with 3:54 remaining in the quarter. 

The Knicks couldn’t pull even, however, missing seven of their next eight shots to trail 87-78 entering the final period.

They clanked 15 of 18 shots overall as the Jazz built their lead back to double digits in the fourth.