There are bad losses — and then there are downright brutal performances.
For the Knicks, Sunday at Madison Square Garden was a combination of both.
New York couldn’t generate a modicum of offense in an anemic scoring performance leading to a disappointing 79-73 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
It’s the fewest points the Knicks have scored since 2018.
The loss to the Sixers was particularly disheartening given both Philadelphia’s All-Stars Joel Embiid (meniscus) and Tyrese Maxey (concussion protocol) sat out on Sunday.
It was twice as bad of a loss considering where the Knicks stand in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Knicks remain the fourth seed in the East, but now only a half-game separates them from the fifth-seeded Orlando Magic — who lost to No. 7 Indiana on Sunday.
And after the loss to the starless Sixers, only a game separates the Knicks from sixth-seeded Philadelphia.
The Knicks and Sixers play again at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
If Philadelphia wins, the season series will be tied at two games apiece, and if the two teams finish the season tied in head-to-head matchups, the next tiebreaker criteria falls to record in division.
As of the end of Sunday’s game, the Knicks held a 7-5 record against Atlantic Division opponents while the Sixers improved to a 6-7 record.
Only two games now separate the fourth-seeded Knicks from the No. 8 Miami Heat.
And if the Knicks have any hope of retaining their status as an outright playoff seed by avoiding the Play-In Tournament destined for seeds 7 through 10, the effort will begin with generating more offense than they did on Sunday.
New York’s scoring total came one point shy of the 74 points they held the Orlando Magic to in a 24-point victory on Friday.
Seventy-four points were the fewest the Knicks have allowed an opponent since 2012.
And even though the Knicks have been without their starting front court since late January, they had successfully turned to others on the roster aside from Jalen Brunson to help shoulder the scoring load.
Points were hard to come by for both teams at The Garden.
The Sixers and Knicks entered the second quarter tied at 15 apiece, with Philadelphia taking a 37-31 lead into the half.
Brunson shot 6-of-21 from the field for 19 points and eight assists. Donte DiVincenzo added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 10 points off the bench on four-of-eight shooting from the field.
No other Knicks player scored in double figures on the night.
The Knicks shot just 26-of-80, or 32.5 percent, from the field and 9-of-40 (22.5 percent) from downtown as a team.
Players not named Brunson, DiVincenzo or Bogdanovic combined to shoot just 10-of-53, or 18.8 percent, from the field.
Julius Randle and OG Anunoby cozily looked on from the sidelines wearing sweatsuits at the end of the bench.
Anunoby (right elbow surgery) is expected to return to the rotation soon and shot perfect from three in pregame warmups nearly a month after his procedure.
There remains no timeline on Randle (dislocated right shoulder), who is only taking light contact at this point in his rehab process.
On the other side, Embiid will return for the Sixers soon, as will Maxey, when he clears the concussion protocol.
Maxey could be available for the Sixers on Tuesday if clears the benchmarks needed in time.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led the way for the 76ers with 18 points, and Buddy Hield gave Philly 16 off the bench. New York native Tobias Harris added 11 points, and backup Sixers big man Paul Reed made a pair of threes coming in as part of the second unit.
Those aren’t the kind of marquee players the Knicks can expect should they meet the Sixers in the playoffs.
Without their stars, the 76ers were the hungrier team at The Garden on Sunday.
