Jeff Hornacek sounds the ‘charge’ call

Jeff Hornacek criticized the Knicks for not making “game-winning plays” late in their 118-110 loss to the 76ers on Thursday night. They haven’t had much experience with that, given that they’ve won once in the last 44 days.

Hornacek wanted to see someone step in front of 7-footer Joel Embiid and draw a charge down the stretch. He directed some of that criticism at Emmanuel Mudiay, who said he should have tried to take the charge but added that Embiid’s size prevented him from doing it.

“He was upset about it,” Mudiay said. “If you can go back in time, that’s a big guy, so stepping in front of that, yeah. He said it could have been a winning play and I agree with him. It could have been a winning play. At the time, I wasn’t thinking charge.”

The Knicks were outscored 20-6 in the final 5:07.

“We just want to see these guys’ competitiveness late in the game,” Hornacek said. “Game-winning plays, we talk about it all the time. One of the game-winning plays is taking a charge late in the game. That’s Embiid dribbling the ball from the three-point line. We had two guys flying by him. I thought we could’ve taken a charge right there. I think it was a four-point game at that time. They had some momentum. They had cut the lead down. That’s a great time to take that charge. Those are game-winning plays. We didn’t do it.”

Jeff wants leaders to lead

Hornacek understands that some of his veterans are frustrated with losing and having their minutes reduced to let the younger players get more playing time. He said it’s part of being a professional.

Starters Enes Kanter and Courtney Lee have been playing less and less, and Jarrett Jack lost his starting job to Mudiay.

“It’s probably tough on the veteran guys because they are used to playing,” Hornacek said. “They’re guys who are used to being in the playoffs. You’re finishing out the season and you know you’re not going to the playoffs, that’s a tough thing. But just trying to have them be leaders for our young guys, show the young guys how they’re expected to react.”

Lee was scoreless in 15 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Mavericks — the second time in the last five games he didn’t score.

Kanter scored a season-low three points Tuesday and played just 6:44 in the second half. “Enes, he wants to win so badly, he gets upset when we lose,” Hornacek said. “The next day, he’s ready to go back to work. That’s what you want — you want guys to not be happy about losing, not accept and just keep fighting to fight through it and keep trying to get better.”

Jack again

Hornacek didn’t rule out using Jack in “a game or two” before the season ends. Jack started 56 straight games but hasn’t played since Hornacek made the switch to Mudiay after the All-Star break. Frank Ntilikina and Trey Burke have been playing both backcourt positions.

Hornacek said he might reward Jack for being a “good trooper” and “good professional,” adding: “Maybe we’ll do that and get him a couple of games to play. But for the most part, we’re going to play the young guys.”

Fast breaks

Burke’s right wrist and inner forearm are still bothering him. “It’s nothing that’s going to keep me from playing,’’ he said. He’ll get an X-ray after the season. Having spent most of the season in the G League, he wants to finish up on the court . . . Lance Thomas was not with the team because of a family issue.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.