Carmelo Anthony doesn’t know how the Knicks will be able to score enough points with key players out or how the Heat will defend him with no Amar’e Stoudemire to focus on.
“I don’t know,” Anthony said regarding the latter. “I have no idea, to be honest with you.”
The Knicks are missing three key starters — Stoudemire (lacerated hand) and Iman Shumpert (torn ACL) they lost in this series. Jeremy Lin (torn meniscus) is hoping to return for Game 4 on Sunday.
Anthony will replace Stoudemire as power forward for tonight’s Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, and he played that position over the 13 regular season games Stoudemire missed with a bulging disk in his back. Anthony pumped in 28.1 points per game during that stretch, including a 42-point outing against the Heat on April 15 at the Garden.
Still, the Knicks lost that game 92-85, and that was with Shumpert active — though Shumpert scored just three points. The only other Knick besides Anthony who scored in double figures was J.R. Smith, who had 16.
Anthony hasn’t played well in the series versus Miami so far, shooting 3-for-15 in Game 1, then pouring in 30 points on 12-for-26 shooting in Game 2 but managing just nine points in the second half.
“I don’t think Miami’s gonna let me beat them by myself,” Anthony said. “Everybody’s got to do it. Everybody’s got to step up.”
mark.hale@nypost.com