CLEVELAND — Maybe the Knicks won’t win again until Kevin Durant arrives.
The main characters were different but the worst kind of history was made by the Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday night.
With newcomers John Jenkins and Dennis Smith Jr. missing final-second 3-pointers, the Knicks set a franchise record for the longest losing streak in their 73-year history as it reached 17 games in a wire-to-wire 107-104 loss to the Cavaliers in The Zion Bowl.
The Knicks fell to a league-worst 10-46 despite a furious fight into the closing seconds — fights that always come up short. The Cavaliers moved to 12-45 as both teams continue their battle for Zion Williamson in the draft lottery.
The Knicks dropped their 30th game in 32 outings despite a career night from two-way G-League call-up Kadeem Allen. The rookie scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting. The Knicks will look to snap the slide when they host the Sixers Wednesday.
“A loss is a loss, is a loss, is a loss,’’ Knicks coach David Fizdale said after his club rallied from 17 points down in the second half. “The beauty of our team is they’re not caught up in all that. They’re going to find a way to get back in a game. At some point we’ll break it and get our win.”
The game ended with the Knicks failing frantically from the 3-point line. Center Luke Kornet missed short on a wide-open 3-pointer with 19 seconds left and the Knicks trailing by a point. On the prior possession, Kornet had dropped in a 3-pointer that had cut the deficit to one.
However, the Knicks still had a chance to tie in the final seconds, trailing by 3. Jenkins, making his Knicks debut after signing a 10-day contract earlier in the day, missed on a corner 3 with seven seconds left.
Smith Jr., acquired less than two weeks ago, chased down the rebound and fired up another missed 3 and the buzzer sounded on their 17th straight defeat. Smith moved to 0-5 as a member of the Knicks.
“It’s incredibly hard,’’ Smith Jr. said. “Nobody likes to lose, especially when it gets to 17 in a row. I wasn’t here for most of it, but I dealt with it last year [in Dallas]. I know how everybody in here feels. Tonight would’ve been major for us if we pulled it out. John makes that shot nine out of 10 times.”
Earlier in the day Fizdale said he wasn’t sure he’d use Jenkins on Monday except in a pinch.
“I was in a pinch,’’ Fizdale said.
On the final possession, Fizdale inserted Jenkins, looking for a fairy-tale finish. Jenkins had played seven minutes of the third quarter and made three of his four shots for seven points.
“I was just trying to get a win,’’ said Jenkins, whose 10-day contract with the Wizards expired Sunday. “I just got here 12 hours ago but the coach trusted me. I was pretty shocked. Next time I’ll make the shot.’’
Fizdale figured nothing else had worked since Jan. 4 — their last victory, which came against the LeBron-less Lakers in Los Angeles.
“That’s what [Jenkins] can do — he can really shoot the basketball,’’ Fizdale said. “I’ve got to take a shot with him.’’
The teams battled closely deep into the fourth quarter but rookie Kevin Knox couldn’t deliver any clutch plays. Knox bricked a 3-point attempt with 3:20 left and Jordan Clarkson answered with a 3-pointer for a seven-point Cavs’ lead.
Two possessions later and with 1:20 left, the Knicks were again down by four but Knox was stripped on a drive. The rookie finished with 13 points on woeful 5-of-16 shooting — 1-of-7 on 3-pointers. The Knicks are 1-31 in games Knox has started.
The Cavaliers dominated early thanks to Kevin Love starting his first game since October as he scored 14 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes.
In building a 63-48 halftime lead, the Cavaliers hurt the Knicks from the 3-point line. The game boiled down to 3-point efficiency as the Cavs finished 14-of-44 while the Knicks were 7-of-26.
“I definitely thought it was good,’’ Jenkins said of his final fling. “I’ve missed big shots before and I’ve made them.”
Welcome to the Knicks, John.