Knicks draw short end of In-Season Tournament stick: ‘Detroit! That would have been a good one, right?’

Julius Randle pointed around the room like a game show host teasing the day’s next prize.

Only there wasn’t a prize — at least not for the Knicks — just a lopsided schedule courtesy of the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament.

The Knicks will now play 42 games on the road and 40 at home instead of 41 apiece. The two extra road games come against championship contenders: The Knicks already lost one to the Bucks by 24 in Milwaukee on Tuesday and are set to travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Friday, a team they have already lost to twice this season.

The Knicks will play the Bucks and Celtics five times each as opposed to the normal maximum serving of four games against conference foes.

To make matters worse, the two games added to the schedule are on the road, and the Celtics in particular are known for their home-court advantage.

“We got five [games] versus both?” Randle said after practice on Thursday. “What do you want me to say, that’s bullsh–? What can we do about it? That’s just the way it went.”

Meanwhile the teams that lost the tiebreaker to the Knicks — Cleveland, Orlando and Brooklyn — got off easy.

The Nets got the Atlanta Hawks, a non-contender, and beat them by one on Wednesday, plus a date with the Washington Wizards, who have only won three games this season.

The Cavaliers drew a tough two games against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, but those teams are not world beaters. The Bucks and Celtics are.

The Magic lost to the Cavaliers but then play the league-worst Detroit Pistons.

Each of those teams play one game at home and one game on the road.

“We should have played like who?” Randle said with a cheek-to-cheek smile, fielding suggestions from reporters around the room. “Who should we have played?”

One reporter suggested the Pistons, a dumpster fire game the Knicks would have been favored to the high heavens.

“Detroit!” Randle shouted with a smile. “That would have been a good one, right?”

Another reporter suggested the Wizards, another awful team struggling to secure wins. Randle slapped the podium with both hands.

“Nah!” he screamed, jokingly, as he left his chairs. “We should have played Detroit. Ah man.”

The Western Conference In-Season Tournament quarterfinalists have a similar, but lesser dilemma.

The Phoenix Suns lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Sacramento Kings lost to the New Orleans Pelicans after advancing from the group stage.

The two teams now play each other as a consolation matchup, though they will each play an even 41 games at home and on the road due to their seeding for the tournament games.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau was unaware of any consolation for the teams who will play two more road games than home games after advancing past the group stage.

“It’s a good question. I’m sure [the league office has thought about this],” he said after practice in Tarrytown on Thursday. “And I think it’s all part of going through this the first time. I’m sure after it’s all said and done, there will be a deep dive on: ‘OK overall these were some of the positives, these were some of the negatives. How can we tweak it and make it better?’”

Thibodeau has refused to make a big deal about the schedule imbalance when questioned about the disparity over the week.

“Any time you do something for the first time, it’s not gonna be perfect,” he said. “So I think everyone understands that. I think for the most part, it’s been very positive.”

His Knicks have followed suit.

They are looking at the newfound games as an opportunity to test themselves against the East’s elite.

The Knicks are 7-0 against teams projected to miss the playoffs but 5-8 against teams in the mix for postseason contention.

“I think the earlier we know our team and how we can bounce back from games and how we can respond, the better we can be down the road,” said star guard Jalen Brunson. “It’s all about how you build your team to be the best by the end of the year. We are going to continue to get better one day at a time. … There’s still a lot of work to be done.”

It’s undeniable, however, that the In-Season Tournament put the Knicks at a competitive disadvantage.

“Life’s not fair,” Brunson added. “It is what it is. It’s all about how you respond to certain situations.”

The Knicks have already dealt with their fair share of adversity.

No team had a more difficult opening seven-game slate than the Knicks, who also led the NBA in season-opening back-to-backs.

It’s par for the course, even if it’s unfair, and the Knicks are taking it in stride.

“I feel like we’ve been playing hard games all year,” said Randle. “We’ve had back to backs, top teams, I just take it a game at a time. That’s all you really can do.”