The New York Knicks have dropped their third-straight game after falling 111-94 to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday and the way that the losses are piling up, there's a trend that's being revealed that doesn't bode well for the Knicks come playoff time. 

It seemed like the Knicks were finally building some momentum earlier in the month, but the way they've looked like in the past few games seems like the fight has left them. 

When it came to the previous losses, against teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Charlotte Hornets, the Knicks may have come out the game as losers, but they still stayed in the fight the entire time. 

Against the Rockets, though, they seemed defeated before the game was even over. At this point of the season, when every team is feeling the effects of the long season, the energy that the team has around the roster becomes the most important thing.

That energy is what the Knicks have been lacking as of late, especially in Tuesday's game, and some of the players on the roster are starting to feel the effects and they're getting worried about what it means for the team going forward.

"I just think we're not going in the right direction," Josh Hart said (via SNY). "We're not trending upwards. So, we've got to figure it out. It was three tough ones. We've got another one tomorrow. That's a must-win for us, and build from there."

Their next game is against the Memphis Grizzlies, which on paper should be an easy win for the Knicks to build on, but that doesn't mean it's something the Knicks should take lightly. 

Coming away with the win, no matter the opponent, is massively important for the Knicks, not just for their record, but for their morale.

That morale becomes even more important when it comes to the playoffs. The Knicks have the talent to be contenders in the Eastern Conference and make a run to the NBA Finals, but if they go into the playoffs with their confidence depleted, that talent could end up failing them. 

The Knicks have shown that their chemistry can click and that the energy can ride high at different points of this season, and they'll need to tap in to that energy once again to get into playoff form, though they don't have much time to make that happen. 

As Hart said, the game against the Grizzlies is a must-win, as are the five more that follow.