NBA

Kenyon has another strong game for Knicks

With 10:59 left on the clock, Kenyon Martin slipped toward the rim and took a high, arcing lob from Jason Kidd and rammed it home, putting the Knicks ahead by two more points against the overmatched Magic. Shades of the Nets, circa 2002-03

“Nah, that’s too far back. I can’t think that far back,” Kidd said.

For Martin, the Nets memories admittedly stirred. But what he thought of first was just going back to the beginning of the season when he sat at home and waited for a team to call. And waited.

“You start asking yourself, ‘Why?’ But I know my ability, I know what I’m capable of doing. So you ask yourself that, but I got over it,” Martin said after the Knicks’ 106-94 win over the Magic Wednesday night at the Garden. “I got my mind away from it. If not, I’d have drove myself crazy.”

Finally the phone rang, with the Knicks on the other end. Both sides are so thankful for the call. Given their general state of health, what the Knicks saw in that Kidd-Martin hook-up was a big man making a play with nothing fractured, sprained, broken, bruised or contused. So Martin has proven to be an enormous pickup for the Knicks.

“I’m glad it’s with our team because I think eventually somebody would have picked him up for the playoff run without a doubt,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “The fact that we stepped up first is pretty big for our ball club now, considering all the injuries we’ve had and are having right now.”

In last night’s win, Martin made 5 of 6 shots, scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds in 28 minutes.

“K-Mart, I thought, for the minutes he played was great for us,” Woodson said.

In case you have lost track, Amar’e Stoudemire (knee), Kurt Thomas (foot), Rasheed Wallace (foot), Tyson Chandler (neck) were out while Carmelo Anthony (knee) was back last night after missing three straight games, six of his last eight. So yeah, Martin was a nice addition and was in the starting lineup for a fourth straight game.

That came after he waded through a pair of 10-day contracts and was signed for the remainder of the season last week, a no-brainer if one ever existed.

“I feel healthy,” Martin said. “I embrace all the minutes I can get right now. … It’s better than sitting at home on the couch.

“You learn patience when you’re sitting at home. … If my time was going to come, it was going to come. It’s unfortunate it came when guys got injured but now I let my play speak for itself.”

And Martin’s play always has been about energy, hustle and defense.

“I just go out and try to lead by example. I go out and give 110 percent every night,” Martin said. “Every time I go out, I play hard. Guys know that. Guys who’ve been around the game and played with me know that. I just try to go out and lead by example and try to play hard each and every night.”

fred.kerber@nypost.com