Thursday night’s brutal overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers marked another disappointing performance for the New York Knicks. This was supposed to be the season they contended with the Celtics—and now the Cavaliers—for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Acquired in the summer for five first-round picks, Bridges had been benched previously this season in crunch time — most notably in a November victory in Charlotte. He’s been up and down this season, and Sunday on Biscayne Boulevard — after the Knicks fell down by 19 points in the first half — the coach turned to McBride.

Tom Thibodeau had a cryptic response when asked about Karl-Anthony Towns' status in the Knicks' upcoming road trip.

From the beginning of the year, there has been some concern about the shooting of Knicks star wing Mikal Bridges, who had a rough go of things in the preseason, shooting just 2-for-19 from the 3-point arc in four October appearances. He got his touch back in time for the season, but still, Bridges has frequently wavered with his shot this year.

Karl-Anthony Towns missed Wednesday night’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers with patellar tendonopathy in his left knee.

(AP Photo/Pamela Smith) New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau stands on the court during the ... (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) New York Knicks’ Mikal Bridges, right, defends the ball from Philadelphia 76ers’ Justin Edwards during the first half of an ...

Despite sitting third in the Eastern Conference with a strong 37-20 record, the Knicks have faltered against the NBA’s elite — a troubling trend with the playoffs looming.

The New York Knicks are hoping for a quick recovery for big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who suffered a knee injury.Until then, they might be able to survive his absence if Mikal Bridges performs as he