Getty
Jose Alvarado #5 of the New York Knicks gestures against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The New York Knicks dropped their second straight game in Los Angeles on Monday night. The Clippers won 126-118 at the Intuit Dome. New York fell to 41-25, and have lost 3 of their last 4 games.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a big night, scoring 35 points to go along with with 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Jalen Brunson added 28 points and 8 assists. OG Anunoby contributed 22 points. It was not enough. The Knicks turned the ball over 20 times and could not get stops when they needed them.
Head coach Mike Brown made a rotation change during the game that raised questions. After the loss, he explained what happened.
Brown on Benching Alvarado
Jose Alvarado played just eight minutes against the Clippers. He did not score. Brown pulled him and turned to Tyler Kolek instead.
“I thought Jose was struggling a little so I threw Tyler out there and wanted to see if we could get a boost,” Brown said.
Kolek did not last long before Brown pulled him too. Neither guard provided the answer he was looking for.
Alvarado finished with three assists but could not give the Knicks much offensively. The point guard spot behind Brunson remains uncertain. New York acquired Alvarado specifically to address that need. After a strong start to life as a Knick, he has played a combined 15 minutes across the last 2 games.
GettyJose Alvarado of the New York Knicks reacts to shooting a three-point basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden.
Turnovers Defined the Night
The Knicks worked hard on the night. They competed. Execution let them down. New York gave the ball away 20 times. Seven turnovers came in the opening quarter alone.
Kawhi Leonard controlled the game for Los Angeles. He put up 29 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Darius Garland added 23 points and 7 assists. Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench and scored 28 points with 7 rebounds.
Mikal Bridges struggled again. He managed 7 points on 3-of-8 shooting across 26 minutes. Brown subbed him out late in the fourth quarter. Bridges stayed on the bench the rest of the way.
Towns’ strong performance was not enough. Brunson doing his part was not enough. The Knicks needed someone to settle the offense down and limit mistakes. That player never emerged.
Lue Showed Respect to the Knicks
Ty Lue coached the Clippers to the win. He had positive things to say about the Knicks afterward.
“Good team, put a lot of pressure on you with Brunson & Big KAT, they play hard, they play the right way,” Lue said. “Brunson’s too good to allow him to [both score and] get to the FT line, so our model’s make him make FGs, no FTs…And they’ve gotten better defensively.”
Los Angeles game-planned specifically to keep Brunson off the foul line. Make him earn points through field goals instead of free throws. The approach worked.
Final Word for the Knicks
The Knicks are 41-25. Three losses in four games.Wednesday brings Utah. Then comes a stretch that should help New York get back on track. Indiana, Golden State, Brooklyn, Washington, and New Orleans follow before the schedule toughens up again late in the month.
The turnovers have to stop. Twenty against the Clippers. Nineteen against the Lakers the night before.
Fix the execution and the Knicks will be fine. The talent is there. The effort is there. Everything else can be cleaned up.
Utah is next.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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