Although he was out Monday night, the All-NBA Defense guard helped spark his team to dominate the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Monday’s loss marked the Knicks’ third straight defeat, exposing the fragility of their already short rotation.

New York's biggest weakness is on the defensive side of the ball. The Knicks have struggled to contain strong offenses over the last month. At the top of the list of players who has struggled defensively, though, is captain Jalen Brunson .

One happens, two is a slight concern, and three is a trend—but three, in conjunction with falling to the most wounded team in the land, is when a team officially hits the skids.

This loss is a sign for the Knicks to explore the trade market and grab legitimate depth before the Feb. 6 deadline. Plenty of experienced veterans will be or are already available, and New York has assets to spare.

In a back-and-forth contest between the East’s No. 3 and 4 seeds, the Magic limited New York to its lowest point total of the season on Monday night.

Despite dealing with numerous injuries, they managed to hang on and remain competitive under the leadership of head coach Jamahl Mosley. Star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, have both been sidelined indefinitely and rotational big man Mo Wagner is out for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL injury.

For a third straight game, the New York Knicks looked flat, tired, and, at times, outmatched. Against a shorthanded Orlando Magic team that was missing Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Franz and Mo Wagner,

In spite of the Magic entering the matchup without a player who is averaging double-digit points on the season, they continued to play the Knicks tough. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the Magic ahead, 53-51 after a last second Jett Howard three to take the lead.

The suddenly healthy Atlanta Hawks will try to extend their winning streak to four games and remain unbeaten against the Knicks when the teams meet in New York on Monday afternoon.

Jalen Brunson scored 44 points despite missing part of the third quarter with an apparent injury, and the New York Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 140-106 on Sunday.

The New York Knicks are reeling on a two-game losing streak after a long road trip that had the team exhausted by the end of the weekend. Now is a perfect time to be dealing with an Eastern Conference foe.