Long before the Knicks played the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and long after many of his teammates had departed the pregame shootaround, point guard Raymond Felton continued to work on his midrange moves with the assistant Darrell Walker.

While most eyes were trained on a rehabilitating Amar’e Stoudemire as he practiced his post moves nearby, Felton worked his way around an invisible semicircle, about 16 feet from the basket, his hands often outstretched, impatiently seeking Walker’s passes. Sweat began dripping onto his orange and blue Nikes as his eyes remained locked on the rim.

Felton, who returned this season to replace the popular point guard Jeremy Lin, had had consecutive lackluster games, shooting a combined 7 for 27 against the Denver Nuggets and the Nets. His pregame routine seemed to be equal parts penance and exorcism.

“It’s work,” he said. “But you put in the time, whether you’re hitting or not. My shots weren’t falling, but they’re shots I need to take. So you go out there and try to find the stroke.”