NBA

Smith’s miss at buzzer foils Knicks’ upset bid

The Knicks gave it the good, old J.R. try against the Western powers from Oklahoma City.

Ultimately, they lived by J.R. Smith last night, then died by J.R. Smith last night.

With Carmelo Anthony sitting out a second straight game with a right-knee injury, coach Mike Woodson put Smith in position to be a last-second hero again and the team’s sixth man extraordinaire electrified the Garden with his Knick-career-high 36 points.

But Smith cooled off in the fourth quarter. He missed his final two shots in the last 30 seconds, including a tough, 17-foot fallaway from the left side over Russell Westbrook with 1.8 seconds left, as Oklahoma City escaped with a 95-94 victory in a Garden thriller.

No third buzzer-beater this time for Smith, the first Knick this season to score 30 points other than Anthony.

“[I] can’t say it was a great night,’’ Smith said. “I’ve had high-scoring nights, but it doesn’t mean anything when you come out with a loss.’’

Woodson, who chose Smith over Amar’e Stoudemire in the final moment, said he wished Smith drove the ball. Jason Kidd inbounded to Smith with 7.8 seconds left. Smith backed in Westbrook, chewing up the clock, before lifting the jumper that hit the far rim as the buzzer sounded.

Smith agreed he should have taken it to the hole immediately but also said he wanted to kill the rest of the clock and not leave time left for Kevin Durant (34 points).

“I really had the hole middle and didn’t have much room on the baseline,” Smith said. “But the left side is my best side to get my shot up. I waited a long time as well. Worst comes to worst, they didn’t have any time to run a play. They got a good closer over there in KD. I wanted to finish it off.

“I got a good look at the basket. It was kind of a line drive. I should’ve shot it higher.’’

Woodson called the last play “sluggish.’’

“The play was for J.R. and I thought once he actually caught it, looked up at the clock and faced up, he could have gone with it,’’ Woodson said. “He could’ve ripped through and went to the rim but he didn’t. He settled for the jump shot.’’

Which Smith had been making on a furious rate for three quarters, taking 31 points into the final period and looking like Stephen Curry from nine days before. The Knicks led 81-75 after three and Smith was authoring what would have been as sweet as any Knicks win this season.

“Whenever Melo’s out, it’s a close game, he always gives me the ball,’’ Smith said of Woodson. “He gives me the leeway to do what I think is right. It shows the confidence he has in me as well as my teammates. One through 15, everyone was expecting me to make it. It didn’t work. ‘’

Scoreless in the first quarter and drawing groans, Smith ripped off 18 points in the second quarter alone and added another 13 in the third quarter. As the Knicks fought back from an 11-point second-quarter deficit and took a 81-75 lead into the fourth quarter.

Smith finished 14 of 29 but was just 2 of 9 in the fourth quarter. The Knicks didn’t have a field goal in the final 2:58 and Stoudemire didn’t have one in the final 5:30. It was a tough night for Stoudemire as Serge Ibaka gave him all he could handle. He finished with 16 points on just 5-of-16 shooting.

Stoudemire said he’s “not worried’’ he didn’t get the ball late.

“It was a great fight despite not having our leading scorer,” he said. “We competed. Defensively we can hang our hat on it.We played great defensively out there.”

Trailing by one, with 30 seconds left, Smith back-ironed a left-wing 3-pointer with Theo Sefolosha rushing at him. But Oklahoma City couldn’t clinch as Durantmissed an 18-footer over Kidd and the Knicks got the rebound and called time out with 7.9 seconds left.

Smith said Woodson told him in the huddle “ ‘Win the game. Win the game.’ He didn’t really tell me to go to the basket. He said take what the defense gives me and try to win the game.’’

“I tried to get to my spot where I wanted to,’’ said Smith, who had buzzer-beater wins in Charlotte and Phoenix, both games the Knicks were without Anthony. “A turnround jumper is a tough shot in that situation. I really should’ve went to the basket and take a page out of LeBron’s [James’] book [Wednesday]. [But] my jumper was pretty good all night except for the fourth quarter.’’

Though there are no moral victories, Tyson Chandler said the Knicks played a strong game.

“When you play like that,’’ he said, “you can accept [a loss].’’