As each Knick took his turn to talk, it became an exercise unto itself. The Knicks had been defeated, soundly, by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 112-103, at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. It was a loss in which the Knicks lacked cohesion, marksmanship and, by their own admission, fortitude.

Yes, the Knicks had fallen prey to the habitual wizardry of the Thunder star Russell Westbrook, who had 27 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists, his third straight triple-double and his eighth in 19 games this season. But that is the cost of playing Oklahoma City — a statistical line that opponents bake in.

Instead, the Knicks embarked on a bout of self-flagellation, rebuking themselves for the errors they could have avoided in their second consecutive loss. For most of the game they were outmuscled and outplayed, which left them bruised, physically and emotionally.

“We got manhandled,” Knicks center Joakim Noah said.

The Knicks’ shortcomings were plain to see. The Thunder grabbed 13 more rebounds and had 17 on the offensive glass. They scored 28 second-chance points.