For the second straight game, the New York Knicks needed extra time to decide the outcome of a contest at Madison Square Garden, but on Thursday night, the extra five minutes did not go New York’s way.

Two nights after topping the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in OT, the Knicks needed extra time again Thursday as they played host to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Both teams entered the game with identical 14-54 records and the New York was looking to move ahead of their Western Conference out of the NBA’s cellar.

A strong night defensively gave the Knicks a shot to win the game and do that late. But ultimately, as coach Derek Fisher surmised afterward, a poor first half doomed the Knicks in a 95-92 overtime defeat.

“I don’t think our guys brought the right energy and level of desire to win the game right from the start,” Derek said. “We came out and we were just kind of coasting. When your mind is not completely engaged, it’s tough to get your body engaged. I thought that had a lot to do with why it was tough for our guys to find that rhythm tonight.”

The Knicks shot 45.5 percent in the first half, but they hung in the game by limiting the Wolves to just 44.7 percent from the field. Fouls were a major issue as well. In the first half alone, Minnesota went to the line 20 times where they cashed in 18 points. For the game, the Wolves were 25-of-30 from the line, while the Knicks were just 8-of-10.

“That seemed to be something that was more of an issue for us early in the season. Lately, it hasn’t been that much of a discrepancy,” Fish said of the large foul shooting disparity. “We’ve even had some games where we outshot our opponent at the free-throw line.”

Derek also added that Minnesota’s early aggression was likely A root for that imbalance. The Wolves attacked the basket, went to the line often and converted, helping them to take a 54-46 lead into the break.

After using the halftime break to regroup, D-Fish’s squad came out in the third quarter with the energy they lacked in the first. That showed on the defensive end, as the Knicks held the Wolves to just 15 points on 35 percent shooting in the frame. Meanwhile, Langston Galloway tallied nine points to lead the offensive charge and get the game tied at 69 for the final quarter of play.

The final frame featured more strong defensive play from the Knicks. They forced five turnovers and held the Timberwolves to just 16 points on 40 percent shooting. Alexey Shved tallied eight points off 3-of-6 shooting, and Shane Larkin came off the bench to hit a big three to put the Knicks up 83-81 with two and a half minutes to go.

However, the Knicks went cold for the final two minutes and change of regulation as Minnesota scored back-to-back buckets to pull ahead. Shved managed to earn a trip to the line and knocked down a pair of free throws to tie it back up at 85 and force OT.

In the extra session, the game’s discrepancies showed. The Knicks pulled down a pair of offensive rebounds and attempted 12 shots, while the Wolves attempted just five field goals. However, the visitors went to the line eight times, while the Knicks didn’t attempt a single overtime free throw.

Galloway came through with a big connection from beyond the arc to make it 92-90 Knicks with 1:42 remaining, but the Wolves scored the game’s final five points—all from the free throw line.

New York held a slight field goal percentage advantage (41.2 to 41.0), outrebounded the Wolves 49-43, hit two more three-pointers, had more points in the paint and more second-chance points, while also dishing out 10 more assists—but the charity stripe was the difference maker.

But rather than dwell on that, Derek noted after the game that his team’s lack of energy in the first half as its falling point. It’s something, he said, that all teams struggle with, and he praised several of his bench players for bringing a boost when it was needed.

“No team in the NBA is going to come out every night with all the gusto and fight right at the beginning. But teams find ways to figure out how to get themselves going and still figure out how to win,” Coach Fish explained. “A lot of our guys off the bench came off

[strong], and that’s what a team is about. The starters were a little slow, and Quincy Acy gets in there, Shane Larkin gave good minutes, Jason Smith’s energy was good, Cole Aldrich came off and gave us some good minutes. It’s tough to collectively get that accomplished when you get out to a poor start.”

Larkin finished with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals; Aldrich had eight points, seven boards, five dimes and two blocks; Smith went for five points, three boards and two assists; and while Acy didn’t score, he pulled down six rebounds and notched an assist and a steal.

NEXT UP

The Knicks (14-54) have a quick turnaround as they make the short road trip south for a Friday night date with the 76ers (16-52) in Philadelphia.

New York is 2-0 against Philly so far this season, notching one in win at home and one on the road. The Sixers have been solid recently, with wins in three of their last six games—most recently a 94-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

But the Knicks have a chance to clinch the season series victory with a win at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on MSG.

RELATED LINKS

• Fisher reacts after Knicks OT loss to Timberwolves (MSG, March 19, 2015)
• Timberwolves at Knicks: Game Book (NBA, March 19, 2015)
• Wolves edge Knicks in OT (AP, March 19, 2015)
• Knicks are NBA’s biggest losers after loss to Wolves (NY Post, March 19, 2015)
• Knicks back in NBA cellar with OT loss to Wolves (NY Daily News, March 19, 2015)