CHARLOTTE — The Knicks better hope this is the low point because the playoffs are soon, and they looked like a lifeless first-round knockout Thursday night.

Tom Thibodeau’s squad was overmatched all evening by the sad-sack Hornets, a team with just 18 wins that coasted to a 115-98 victory.

“The way we’re losing games,” Josh Hart said, “is embarrassing.”

Hart, who took just eight shots and continues to struggle without Jalen Brunson, didn’t excuse himself from the postgame critiques and appeared to take the defeat the hardest in the locker room.

“We’re not doing what it takes,” Hart said. “We’re not doing the extra effort. We’re not giving energy. We’re crying to refs. We’ve got to pick it up.”

He added later: “We can be more aggressive defensively on the ball. We can be more assertive offensively. Not being stagnant, communicating better. I think we got outrebounded by 14 today. A lot of that is effort. None of that takes talent. None of that is schemes and those kind of things.

“It’s extra effort, and we’re not doing that, and that’s what’s embarrassing, especially for this team, especially for a Thibs-coached team, a New York-based team. That’s not what we should be doing. That’s not what we’re supposed to be built on.”

Hart was part of the problem, but hardly the biggest. The bench, an issue all season, was a no-show while getting outscored 37-11 by Charlotte’s reserves.

Josh Hart drives on Nick Smith Jr. during the Knicks’ 115-98 loss to the Hornets on March 20, 2025. AP

In fact, New York’s bench was scoreless until the fourth quarter. Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet and Cam Payne combined to shoot just 3-for-16.

Concerns about depth weren’t alleviated. And as Brunson recovers from his bad ankle sprain, the offense continues to sputter.

“I don’t wanna put it on a bench,” Thibodeau said. “It was all of us. You win together. You lose together.”

LaMelo Ball, who scored a team-high 25 points, goes up for a layup as OG Anunoby defends during the Knicks’ 115-98 loss to the Hornets on March 20, 2025. AP

The Knicks (43-26), who dropped to 3-4 since Brunson’s injury against the Lakers, trailed for the final three quarters and by double digits for the entire final period.

They shot just 40 percent, including 25.6 percent from beyond the arc, and were deflated from tipoff. The arena was filled with Knicks fans, a common occurrence in Charlotte, but they never had an opportunity to get excited.

The Hornets (18-51) are a miserable team with the third-worst record in the NBA. But they were closer than usual to full strength, with LaMelo Ball at point guard and Miles Bridges at power forward.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 24 points, drives to the basket during the Knicks’ loss to the Hornets. NBAE via Getty Images

Ball, a skilled offensive ball handler with a track record of injuries/losing, caught fire in the second quarter and finished with 25 points and eight assists in just 26 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points) and OG Anunoby (25 points) led the Knicks in scoring.

But nobody on New York was efficient.

Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride combined to shoot just 6-for-22 on 3-pointers. The Knicks desperately need Brunson, who, according to Thibodeau, removed his walking boot and started light shooting.

OG Anunoby, who scored a team-high 25 points, is called for a charge as he knocks down Miles Bridges on a drive to the basket during the Knicks’ loss to the Hornets. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The coach said he’s hopeful Brunson will return for tuneup games before the playoffs. That was the only positive development from Charlotte.

“We can’t worry about [Brunson coming back]. We’ve got to get better now,” Towns said. “I told all y’all before, we need to continue to improve every single day, so when he comes back, we reintegrate him into the team, and we’re a better version than the one he got injured playing with, that he left.”

The Knicks have been worse since the point guard’s injury, however.

Nick Smith Jr., who scored 13 points off the bench drives up the court past Miles McBride during the Knicks’ win over the Hornets. Getty Images

And they had an excuse Thursday, while finishing up the most road-heavy stretch of the season. It was the 11th game away from MSG in the past 13. The Knicks also were on the second night of a back-to-back after flying from the central time zone in San Antonio.

Then they played as if stuck in a fog.

A day after a dreadful first half in San Antonio, the Knicks were equally inept at the Spectrum Center. They managed just 44 points in the first half on 35.6 percent shooting, heading into the break with a 10-point deficit.

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In San Antonio, the starters couldn’t hit a shot. In Charlotte, the bench was the bigger problem. The result was the same.

The next opponent is the worst team in the NBA, the Wizards, who come to MSG on Monday. It should be an easy opportunity for redemption or …

As Hart said: “If we don’t come right, we’re going to get embarrassed again.”