By almost any measure, the starters have been mostly bad while the reserves have been solid.

Tom Thibodeau has had to mix and match lineups in the fourth quarter of close games. His closing lineups worked well on Monday against Indiana, when New York held the Pacers to 10 fourth-quarter points.

But the lineups didn’t work as well on Wednesday. New York was outscored, 13-4, in the final four minutes of the loss to Orlando.

“The good thing about the depth is that you have depth. Sometimes, the tough thing is trying to figure out who’s going well and that sort of thing,” Thibodeau said. “But look — we’re capable of doing better, and we have to. Our only way out is, we gotta work our way out of this.”

AN UPDATE ON THE PORTLAND INVESTIGATION

The Blazers’ investigation into president of basketball operations Neil Olshey appears to be in its final stages. The law firm conducting the investigation interviewed Olshey earlier this week, per SNY sources. The firm has interviewed scores of people during its investigation into Olshey and the workplace environment during his Blazers tenure.

Olshey is owed more than $12 million on his current contract, per SNY sources.

So if Portland parts ways with Olshey, which seems to be the most likely outcome, Olshey’s remaining salary could be a sticking point between the executive and the organization.

From a local perspective, an opening in Portland could lead to some movement within the Knicks or Nets front offices.

Brooklyn has several executives held in high regard around the league. For the Knicks, it’s worth noting that general manager Scott Perry has a strong relationship with Chauncey Billups, the Blazers’ current head coach.

Perry was an executive with the Pistons during Billups’ tenure there, which included an NBA title.

If Olshey is let go, it would be logical for Portland to seek input from Billups regarding the next top basketball executive.

Perry and the Knicks agreed to a two-year extension during the offseason. Team president Leon Rose has credited Perry for helping New York’s front office put together a 41-win team last season.

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