MIAMI — On this night, LeBron James couldn’t touch Carmelo Anthony, literally. And Anthony should thank Pat Riley for it.
With James and Dwayne Wade sitting out last night’s showdown with “minor’’ ailments, Anthony went major on the Heat Lite, put on a show for the ages with 50 points in 40 minutes and carried the Knicks to a
102-90 victory at AmericanAirlines arena.
Anthony had 42 points after three quarters but needed a 16-footer with
16.9 seconds to reach the half-century mark. James had a great view of it all — from the bench — as Anthony sank 18 of 26 baskets, and made seven of 10 3-pointers.
It was clear Anthony wanted to do something very special after Riley’s ploy of resting his starters, including starting point guard Mario Chalmers. And he did, becoming the first Knick to reach 50 since Jamal Crawford’s 52 against the Heat in 2007. Anthony’s career high was 50 as a Nugget facing the Knicks three years ago.
The Knicks win the season series against the Heat, 3-1, even if some observers will say it is tainted because of the Heat’s alleged injuries last night. James supposedly is nursing a strained hamstring and Wade a sprained ankle that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra called “minor’’ injuries.
At halftime, while the Knicks were taking warm-up shots, Anthony and James chatted. James had come over to the Knicks’ bench in his gray suit and white sneakers to schmooze and perhaps distract. It didn’t work as Anthony hit his first four shots of the second half.
After pumping in 42 after three quarters, Anthony hadn’t taken a shot through the first eight minutes of the fourth. Anthony then hit a 16-footer over Shane Battier and swished a 3-pointer from the right corner to pump the lead to 95-88 with 3:32 left to close it out.
Anthony was 14-of-17 (6-of-8 from 3-point land) when he reached the 40-point mark on an 18-footer that put the Knicks up 68-67 midway through the third quarter. He hit a turnaround over Battier to give him 42. He was torching the defensive wizard.
Center Tyson Chandler made his return from a 10-game absence but mostly was ineffective until the final few minutes, when he made a key block on Chris Bosh from behind. Chandler finished with one point, and two rebounds in 24 minutes.
After Chandler’s block, Smith nailed a game-sealing 3-pointer to put the Knicks up 99-88 with 1:47 left.
In the final seconds of the third quarter, Anthony drove the lane on Battier and fired a pass to Steve Novak in the right corner. Novak drained the 3-pointer to put the Knicks up 78-76 after three.
Anthony’s scoring brilliance was just not enough as his 27 first-half points were more than half of the Knicks point total, but had zero rebounds, zero assists and zero steals as the Knicks trailed 58-50 at the break.
Anthony hit his first seven shots and was 9-of-12 in the half. He hit four of six of his 3-pointers and was 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
He was mostly a jump shooter, and a great one, for the first two quarters.
Anthony hit two free throws with 6:01 left in the half to get him halfway to 50. Anthony scored the game’s first seven points and had 10 after four minutes. He was locked in and his accuracy was laser-like.
He had 15 points after nine minutes — on one play making two great pump-fakes then shaking free for the bucket.
In lieu of the Heat absences, Mike Miller was on a 7-of-8 rampage in the first half — 4-of-5 on 3s — finishing with 18 first-half points as the Heat shot 58 percent in the first half. The Knicks also were lax in defending backup starting point guard Norris Cole, who was 5-of-6.
marc.berman@nypost.com