Hart: Time for 'soul-searching' after Knicks' 9th loss in 11 games

Josh Hart had an honest message for his teammates following the New York Knicks' 114-97 home loss to a short-handed Dallas Mavericks squad Monday.

"I think we all need to do some soul-searching, some looking in the mirror," Hart told reporters postgame, per SNY. "Figuring out what we're gonna do individually, what we're going to do as a team, what our identity is. Right now, we're playing embarrassing basketball.

"We're not executing on the offensive end. Defensively, we've been abysmal. We've been terrible defensively all year."

Jalen Brunson and Hart both returned to the lineup Monday, yet the Knicks were embarrassed on their home floor, trailing by as many as 30 points in a wire-to-wire victory for Dallas.

New York struggled defensively throughout the game, allowing the visiting side to shoot 49% from the field, including 15-of-32 from downtown.

Fourth-year guard Max Christie led the Mavs' attack with a season-high 26 points. He shot 8-of-10 from distance to go along with six boards and two assists.

Dallas was especially lethal in transition, outscoring New York 32-6 on the fast break.

The Mavs got Cooper Flagg back after a brief two-game absence but were still without several weapons, including Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, and D'Angelo Russell.

The Knicks' latest clunker drew boos from the Madison Square Garden faithful.

New York has dropped nine of its past 11 games. Only the Utah Jazz have posted a worse defensive efficiency during that span.

"We have to go out there with a sense of urgency," Hart said, per SNY. "At this point, 40 games in, normally you don't put too much into struggles because it's highs and lows. But at this point, we have to play desperate because that's what we are right now."