Knicks letting shooting woes affect their defense in growing issue

The issue has popped up at times for the Knicks this season. Mikal Bridges sensed it again Friday, too. 

When the 3-pointers (they hit just four) and every other type of shot (they connected at just a 38.5 percent clip from the field) didn’t fall during the Knicks’ 126-101 loss to the Thunder, that snowballed into defensive lapses at the other end. 

They were torched by MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 39 points, eight days after Aaron Wiggins scored 19 off the bench when the teams met in Oklahoma City, reserve Isaiah Joe poured in 31 points, sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer — eight of them altogether — at the Garden. 

By the time the Knicks’ fourth loss in the past five games settled into place, by the time all of the starters had been removed and fans started exiting well before the final horn sounded, it became their latest concerning outing as a defensive unit. 

The Knicks have allowed 126 or more points six times this season, and three of those have occurred within the past 15 days.

They’re officially a middle-of-the-pack defense — 15th in defensive rating entering Saturday’s slate — after being a top-10 unit at the end of last year.