HOUSTON — Immanuel Quickley has put up eye-popping personal numbers after getting an opportunity to start the Knicks’ past two games with point guard Jalen Brunson sidelined.

The third-year guard registered a career-high 15 assists over 51 minutes Tuesday against the Mavericks and a career-best 36 points Thursday against the Spurs. But those stat lines mattered little to Quickley because of the back-to-back disappointing outcomes for the Knicks.

“I mean, we lost both games. So career-high or not, it kind of sucks. It don’t really matter because we lost,” Quickley said Thursday night in San Antonio after the Knicks’ current losing streak was extended to five games. “I’d rather win. Everybody looks for opportunities to come in and try to prove themselves.

“Whether I play 50 minutes or whether I play 25, I try to do my job, try to come out and play hard each and every game and be aggressive and just do my job. But you want to see those turn into wins, and we’re gonna get that done.”

The cratering Knicks (18-18) will look to salvage one win out of the Texas triangle and ring in the New Year with a victory Saturday night against the Rockets. Houston sports the worst record in the Western Conference at 10-25, although the undermanned Knicks already have been bested on this trip to the rebuilding Spurs, who are one spot ahead of the Rockets in the standings at 12-23.

“I just felt like, defensively, we’re not where we gotta be to win games,” Quickley said. “Offensively, we’re scoring enough points, but defense is where we gotta hang our hats and try to win.

“We don’t make no excuses; we just gotta be better. Individually, as a team. I gotta be better.”

The former Kentucky star has averaged 19.5 points over his past six appearances, with the 51 and 43 minutes of playing time in the last two games representing his two highest totals in his career.

Quickley, who only committed two turnovers in the two losses, likely will get a third straight start in the backcourt on Saturday in Houston with RJ Barrett unavailable with a lacerated finger and Brunson again listed as questionable.

“A little tired, but that’s no excuse to not come out and compete, come out and try to help the team win. Any time you step on the floor, you gotta take advantage of it,” Quickley said after the loss to the Spurs. “I try to work hard in the summer so you can play minutes like this, but I just don’t think we played as good as we could have.

“We gotta learn from this film-wise. I’ll learn, go back and watch the film and be better, especially defensively. Try to be better next game.”

The 23-year-old Quickley, the 25th overall pick in the 2020 draft, is eligible for a contract extension in the summer and could draw interest before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

When asked about Quickley’s production over the past two games, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau similarly said he doesn’t “get wrapped up in the individual” statistics, only the end results.

“I look at what the team does. That’s the important part,” Thibodeau said. “How do you impact the team? So we didn’t play well. The numbers when you don’t win don’t mean anything to me.”