NEW YORK — When it comes to slumps, skids and defeats in droves, it’s as if the logic for the losses is without limitation.

Sometimes it’s death by 3-pointers. Sometimes it’s an opposing hot hand. Sometimes one bad stretch doing the damage.

Sunday night, in falling for the seventh time in eight games with a 132-125 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, it was all of the above.

For extended stretches, the Knicks could not miss from beyond the arc, closing 20 of 38

For an entire night, Jalen Brunson set the tone, the Knicks guard closing with 47 points.

And for the second consecutive game a rough patch at the close of the third quarter proved too much to overcome, just as it did in Friday night’s loss to the Boston Celtics.

“What you have to respect about the Knicks, you have to put them away every single possession,” an animated Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said afterward. “You can’t leave anything to f-ing chance with that team ever. That’s what they do. What they have is a will to win.

“That’s what we are developing. We are going to get there, a collective will to win because we played the game well in certain stretches. But there has to be a competition level where it’s a competitive will to win, to overcome those things.”

So back to Kaseya Center for one more game before Christmas with a 15-14 record, only Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors before a two-day holiday break that feels like a lump of coal at the moment.

While the Heat got 28 points and 19 rebounds from Kel’el Ware, who shot 5 of 7 on 3-pointers, as well as 22 points from Norman Powell and 23 from Jaime Jaquez Jr., there wasn’t enough in support.

“We’re playing hard, that’s the thing,” said guard Davion Mitchell, who closed with 13 points and eight assists. “We’re playing hard. It’s not like we’re quitting out there.”

In addition to Brunson’s 47, the Knicks also got 24 points from Mikal Bridges.

Five Degrees of Heat from Sunday night’s game:

1. Game flow: The Heat led 37-30 after the first period, with the Knicks coming back to take a 66-62 lead into halftime.

The Knicks pushed their lead to nine in the third, the Heat climbed back within one, before New York moved to a 105-99 edge going into the fourth.

As was the case with Friday night’s loss in Boston, a rough patch to end the third led to ongoing issues in the fourth, with New York with 9:50 to play taking its first double-digit lead of the night, at 111-100.

But a Ware 3-pointer and a pair of Jaquez free throws got the Heat within 120-118 with 3:12 to play.

The rally then stalled, with a Bridges 3-pointer making it 125-118 with 2:15 to play, later drawing a three-shot foul on Powell with 1:34 to play that also was ruled a flagrant foul, effectively ending it.

“We are developing a collective, competitive will, and these painful games eventually are going to be wins,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not happy about the result. We’re not trying to just play well and lose at the end. We’re developing a competitive, collective will. Our guys care in the locker room, but it’s got to be another level. It’s not enough. It’s got to be more. This league is a savage league. It’s survival of the competitive toughest, and that’s where we’re going to get.”

2. The big thing: Even with the Knicks opening with a smaller lineup, with Josh Hart opening at power forward and Mitchell Robinson playing off the bench, Spoelstra stayed big, with Ware again starting.

That paid early dividends, with Ware with 10 points in his opening stint, including a 2-of-2 start on 3-pointers a game after shooting 6 of 7 on 3-pointers in Boston.

Ware’s start was part of the Heat’s 6-of-8 start on 3-pointers.

Ware was up to 14 points and nine rebounds by halftime.

“I mean, I’m just trying to impact the game and win that way,” Ware said, “So I’m not putting up the numbers for my, I guess for my own looks. I’m trying to put them up so we can get some points on the board, especially with the rebounds so we can come out with the win. But it didn’t turn out that way.”

It was easier for Spoelstra to stay big with Tyler Herro again out with his toe contusion.

“I like the things that he’s doing,” Spoelstra said. “I know everybody on the outside will just notice the stats, but he’s doing winning things. It’s not always just about the stats, but he’s come a long way. He’s improving.”

3. Powell comes around: A game after closing 1 of 11 on 3-pointers in Friday night’s loss in Boston, Powell this time came around with his 3-point stroke, up to 22 points through three quarters.

Powell extended his streak of games scoring in double figures to 27 in a row, dating to last season with the Clippers. His career-best such streak is 35.

4. Brunson burner: Brunson was up to 39 points through three periods.

That already had him tied with teammate Karl-Anthony Towns for the second most against the Heat this season.

The most against the Heat this season entering the night had been 42 by Zach LaVine in the Sacramento Kings’ Dec. 6  victory at Kaseya Center.

Brunson previously scored 37 against the Heat on Oct. 26 in a Knicks loss in Miami, in his only previous appearance against the Heat this season.

“What I do know about Jalen Brunson is he’s an incredible competitor,” Spoelstra said. “And so if you want to beat a great competitor, you have to do above and beyond. It is possible. But you can’t just play well, and you can’t just compete well. You can’t just be there. You’ve got to put him away.”

5. The 3 D: It’s not as if the Heat’s 3-point defense has been off this season, it just has felt that way these last two games.

On Friday night in Boston, it was the Celtics pulling away by converting 10 of 15 3-pointers in that decisive four quarter.

This time, it was the Knicks standing 15 of 25 from beyond the arc midway through the third quarter.

Part of it still is Ware often playing dropped defense. Much of it is just opponents making shots.

“Tonight, they hit shots while we were there,” Spoelstra said. “Other than Bridges in the first half, I thought he shook free for some transition threes. Brunson’s threes, we’re there. If they’re making them, what it requires is more. You don’t know what it requires until you get the stop, and we’re going to get there.”