For the first time this season, there seemed to be genuine concern coming from coach Derek Fisher and the Knicks locker room.
A dejected Carmelo Anthony stepped up the urgency after the 104-97 loss to the Mavericks on Monday dropped the Knicks to 10-12 and into 12th place in the improved Eastern Conference.
In his worst mood of the season, Anthony went to his old refrain of being tired of losing. There’s no more bragging about the Knicks getting off to a respectable start or singing the praises of rookie phenom Kristaps Porzingis, even after he struck for 28 points against Dirk Nowitzki. Fisher questioned the club’s effort and “activity level’’ following the past two losses, including Saturday’s no-show in Milwaukee.
After losing six of their last eight games, the Knicks face a crossroads on their Western trip — three winnable games against sub-.500 teams in Utah (9-10), Sacramento (8-15) and Portland (9-14). New York Post