Knicks" Dream of Home Streak Runs Into Ugly Truth J. R. Smith of the Knicks looking to pass over DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers on Friday night. Smith finished with 24 points. Jason Szenes for The New York Times It was the start of a rare opportunity for the Knicks. Their game Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers launched an eight-game homestand, their longest such stretch at Madison Square Garden since 1986. About two hours before tipoff, Coach Mike Woodson felt bold enough to float the unthinkable. "If we can win all eight," he said, "it would be fantastic." No one doubted his sincerity. But given that the Knicks were less than 24 hours removed from a 28-point loss to the Indiana Pacers, perhaps he was merely allowing himself to dream. Then reality set in, and the Clippers dealt the Knicks a 109-95 loss. The fans showed more restraint than usual by waiting until 10 minutes remained before they began to boo. The Knicks (15-25), so clumsy at home this season, were well on their way to their third straight loss. They could not shoot (34.9 percent from the field). They could not dribble (20 turnovers). And they could not defend when it mattered. "Either I got to change the lineup, or we have to get our starting five clicking," Woodson said. After winning six of seven games to start the month, the Knicks are once again searching. It all felt vaguely familiar. In the locker room, there was talk of fixing problems. What those problems were, exactly, was more difficult to say. Tyson Chandler, for example, cited offense and defense. "I think we have to clean some things up on both ends of the floor," he said. There's not going to be a pity party. The game featured an unconventional effort from Carmelo Anthony, who went 4 of 23 from the field against a swarm of defenders but still manufactured 26 points by making all 16 of his free throws. Anthony also grabbed 20 rebounds and supplied 40 minutes as the team played its fourth game in five days. "We could never turn the corner all night," he said. The Knicks were short-handed. Before the game, the team announced that Amar'e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin were expected to miss the next two weeks after spraining their left ankles against Indiana, and Pablo Prigioni (toe) and Metta World Peace (knee) did not dress. Then again, the Clippers (28-13) were undermanned, too. It was their sixth game without point guard Chris Paul, who separated his shoulder Jan. 3. In his absence, Darren Collison has assumed a starting role and played well. Against the Knicks, he finished with 12 points and 7 assists. Collison also helped lead the Clippers during an important stretch of the third quarter. The Knicks were coming unglued well before Collison forced Toure" Murry into throwing a pass that sailed over Anthony's head and into an expensive row of seats. But the Clippers made sure to take advantage, closing the quarter with a 14-2 run to build a 9-point lead. "We were dragging," Woodson said. It was too much for the Knicks. The Clippers were not in any danger of setting records for offensive efficiency - they shot 26.7 percent from 3-point range - but they slowly pulled away in the fourth. The Knicks helped them by fumbling the ball as if it were coated with cooking oil. The Knicks had hoped to force Blake Griffin into taking outside jumpers, and he obliged by scoring 32 points. Jamal Crawford added 29. Most distressing for Woodson was the play of his starting backcourt. Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton combined for seven turnovers and shot 2 of 12 from the field. Shumpert, after a recent stretch of strong games, went scoreless in 25 minutes. Woodson said he planned to talk with Shumpert over the weekend to see if his confidence was lacking, and that felt familiar, too. "I didn't lose any confidence," Shumpert said. Same shots are coming. Just got to knock them down. The Knicks were not in the best frame of mind going into the game. Anthony, in particular, had sounded glum after Thursday's loss to the Pacers. Not angry. Not upset. Just disappointed. He capped that game by describing the team's effort as "embarrassing" for at least the third time this season, but he delivered it almost as a whisper. The Knicks had little time to deconstruct game film and hunt for solutions. It could have taken days. Instead, they flew home and took the court against the Clippers hoping to salvage a few crumbs of confidence. Much as they did against the Pacers (before everything went sour), the Knicks actually got off to a nice start, leading by 27-23 at the end of the first quarter. The question, as it often is with the Knicks, was whether they could sustain their effort. The answer was an emphatic no. The usual lapses began to hurt them. DeAndre Jordan slipped behind the Knicks" backline defenders for a dunk. Griffin charged past Andrea Bargnani as if he were a piece of Saran wrap. Chandler threw an outlet pass that the Clippers deflected and turned into a layup. Over the course of a tortured first half, the Knicks committed 13 turnovers. The Clippers shot 32.6 percent. Neither team deserved the lead, and sure enough, the score was 50-50 at halftime. The Knicks had nothing left in the second half, and the Clippers had no trouble managing whatever was thrown their way, errant passes and all. "They ran away with it," Chandler said.