The game was over before it started.

Knicks head coach Mike Brown opted to rest his entire starting lineup on Monday night — along with key reserves Landry Shamet, Josh Hart (back), and Ariel Hukporti — leaving a shorthanded second and third unit to face the Washington Wizards in the fourth of five preseason games.

Even against a Wizards team projected to finish with the NBA’s worst record for a second straight season, the outcome wasn’t much of a mystery.

Washington cruised to a 120-103 victory at Madison Square Garden, ballooning their lead to as many as 36 points before pulling the plug on their own mainstays, including C.J. McCollum, Khris Middleton, 2024 No. 2 pick Alex Sarr, and Bilal Coulibaly.

The loss drops the Knicks to 3-1 in the preseason, with one final exhibition remai

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