An ugly first half put the New York Knicks in a hole they couldn’t get out of en route to a 121-106 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

New York trailed 60-38 after shooting 26.2 percent from the field (2 of 16 from three-point range). Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges performed well (26 points on 9 of 20 shooting), but the rest of the team scored 12 points on 2 of 22 field goals before halftime.

From there, the Mavs kept going, leading by 12 or more points throughout the second half. The Knicks still lost by 15 despite scoring 76 points in the final two quarters.

Brunson scored 37 points on 14 of 21 shooting (9 of 10 free throws) and seven assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds and Mikal Bridges added 20 points.

However, the Knicks’ defense performed poorly despite the Mavs playing without superstar Luka Dončić (sprained right wrist), Klay Thompson (left foot; plantar fascia) and Daniel Gafford (illness).

Six Mavericks scored in double figures, led by Naji Marshall with 24 points. Kyrie Irving added 23 points and PJ Washington had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Dallas shot 56.5 percent from the field and 17 of 33 from three.

This was a brutal effort by the inconsistent Knicks, who had just defeated the host Denver Nuggets 145-118 two nights earlier.

Two nights before the game in Denver, New York lost 121-106 to the 4-13 Utah Jazz, who entered Wednesday second to last in the Western Conference.

It goes without saying that this route is a symbol of the season.