The glaring issue hurting the Knicks as concerns heighten entering Game 6 vs. Pistons

DETROIT — Tom Thibodeau’s halftime talks haven’t exactly had the Knicks raring to go coming out of the break.Quite the opposite, actually. The Knicks have been woeful in third quarters throughout their first-round series against the Pistons, which they lead 3-2 heading back to Little Caesars Arena after falling, 106-103, in Game 5 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.They were outscored 28-24 in the third quarter in the loss, and it was even worse in the beginning of the quarter.The Pistons began the quarter on a 14-7 run and later took a 10-point lead before the Knicks used a 9-0 run to claw their way back into the game.The Knicks either matched or outscored the Pistons in the first, second and fourth quarters. That has been consistent all series — rough third quarters resulting in the need for comebacks and late-game heroics.

That’s certainly not a strategy they can bank on night after night, especially against top competition in the playoffs. “You can only do it so many times before it comes back to bite you,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.“Tonight, we put ourselves in that position.

We just didn’t find a way to get that magical ending.” Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series.Mikal Bridges has one idea for how the Knicks can fix the issue.At this point, his suggestion is as good as any. “We got to maybe do some layup lines or something coming out of halftime, get everybody out there moving,” Bridges said.

“I had the same situation like that when I was at Phoenix [with the Suns].We started the third quarter off and we had to change something, get everybody out there to start moving.

Mentally, get everybody right. “As much as we say playing hard, and we got to do what we say every time, and we still don’t get it done.Maybe warming up or something can get us going a little bit.” For the series, the Knicks have been outscore...