The Sacramento Kings hit a new low on Thursday night, allowing the New York Knicks to score a season-high 140 points against them in a 121-140 defeat. Going into Thursday night’s game, the Knicks were averaging the fewest points per game (103.6 PPG) in the NBA.

It’s not a total shock that the Knicks scored as many points as they did, though. While the Knicks undoubtedly had it going from the field, where they shot 58.6%, including 52.8% from behind the arc, the Kings looked lifeless on defense in the first half.

The hope was that they’d play with more intensity on defense in the second, or that the Knicks would cool down from the field, but neither of those things happened, at least not long enough for it to matter for Sacramento. That responsibility obviously falls on the players, but their lack of motivation is also a reflection of the coaching staff, starting at the top with Luke Walton.

The Kings have now lost nine straight games, which is worse than their longest losing streak last season and their longest losing streak since the 2008-09 season, when they won just 17 games. They’re also closer to the No. 15 seed in the Western Conference than they are the No. 8 seed.

Given the amount of hope surrounding this team and their young core at the beginning of the season, their rapid descent has been tough to watch. They’ll try to get something going on Friday, when they’ll play the Detroit Pistons at the Little Caesars Arena.