NBA

Bargnani helps Knicks exact revenge on Bobcats

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thank Patrick Ewing for helping solve the Knicks’ latest crisis at center.

And thank Carmelo Anthony for a players-only meeting staged Tuesday that woke up the troops. And most of all, thank Andrea Bargnani for turning in a performance worthy of the first overall pick in the draft and worthy of, yes, Knicks legend Patrick Ewing.

In Ewing’s head-coaching debut caused by Steve Clifford’s heart procedure, Bargnani played like Ewing and led the Knicks with a spectacular showing as the reeling franchise broke its three-game losing streak in a 101-91 romp over the Bobcats at Time Warner Arena.

“Sometimes you need to just get together and talk and communicate and let it all out and try to figure out what the problem and issue is,’’ said Anthony, who called the team meeting after Tuesday’s loss to Charlotte. “We responded well tonight.’’

Playing their first game without injured center Tyson Chandler (broken fibula), the Knicks were sharp in all facets and Anthony regained his superstar form in scoring a game-high 28 points, with eight rebounds and six assists. He shot a healthy 12 of 22.

But the biggest surprise was Bargnani rising to the occasion as the Knicks’ new starting center, playing with aggression and force on both ends. He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.

“We played like our backs were against the wall,’’ Anthony said. “It was a must-win for us. When you talk about must-wins this early, something obviously is going wrong. We corrected it. We took care of the basketball, played defense and our offense was clicking.’’

It was Bargnani’s first 20-point game as a Knick. After averaging 9.0 points per game, Bargnani shot 11 of 25 in 34:48.

“He had that shoot-first mentality,’’ Anthony said. “He had some of the same looks but he wasn’t hesitating, which I like. He was very aggressive on the offensive end tonight. I guess he was tired of hearing [he wasn’t].’’

Coach Mike Woodson said his assistant coaches gave Bargnani a pep talk at the morning shootaround.

“I’m still trying to learn him as a coach,’’ Woodson said. “I told our coaches, hell, he needs to speak up and talk more and act like he’s a part of this. He was pretty good tonight. He can’t be a tease because I’m going to expect that from him every time.’’

Bargnani and Anthony combined for 53 points as the Knicks moved to 2-3. They also have played their last game without J.R. Smith, who will make his season debut in a Sunday matinee against San Antonio after serving a five-game marijuana suspension.

“We knew it was a must-win for us,’’ Raymond Felton said. “We wanted to get back to Knicks basketball and that’s what we did.’’

Felton, who apologized to Knicks fans Thursday, had a superb outing as the Knicks’ ball movement with their smallball lineup was crisp. Felton scored 15 points, with five assists, one turnover and four rebounds — one of which he converted into a coast-to-coast layup.

The Knicks heated up from the 3-point line with all their open looks, making 12 of 26.

“That’s Knick basketball,’’ Woodson said. “We can’t come out and be soft. Andrea was great tonight. He finally found his shot. The ball was moving. We had 25 assists.’’

When the half ended, the usually stoic Bargnani clapped his hands. He knew he had done good. Bargnani was aggressive on defense and smooth on the offensive end. He even tried a crossover dribble at the top of the key, getting to the rack. Though his runner banked off too hard, the play showed he was feeling his oats.

“I got to thank my teammates,’’ Bargnani said. “They were looking for me. It was the teamwork. I didn’t want to be hesitant They helped me a lot and I got to help them. We were really upset that we had three losses in a row and real happy we got the win.’’

Anthony, too, found his mojo, his silky jumper and brutalizing post game after shooting 37.1 percent in the first four games and 37.5 percent in preseason.

“Not yet, not yet,’’ Anthony said when asked if his rhythm is back. “It’s not there yet. I’m working. It’s coming back slowly but surely.”

The virtuoso performance all came after Anthony’s meeting. He questioned the team’s effort, commitment and belief in themselves. Anthony said after Friday’s morning shootaround Friday: “Though it is early, there are things we need to fix and fix now.’’

So they did.