The Knicks rank just outside the bottom 10 in defensive efficiency, and in their six losses to Cleveland, OKC and Boston, they have surrendered an average of 126 points. These are not championship-contending numbers, even with a top-shelf offense.

New York’s season-worst 142-105 defeat at the hands of the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers was more than just a bad night. It was the latest data point in a troubling pattern — the Knicks still don’t have a win against a true championship contender this season. The numbers are damning.

CLEVELAND — The Knicks arrived and left Cleveland with the same problem: Their defense is atrocious against the NBA’s best. Tom Thibodeau’s group was massacred Friday night by Kenny Atkinson’s high-octane Cavaliers, who made the Knicks look jayvee in a 142-105 laugher.