Carmelo Anthony’s fast is over and so is the Knicks’ three-game losing streak.
Now we know why Anthony was so grouchy last Monday with Kevin Garnett. Melo revealed after yesterday’s ’s 100-87 matinee victory over New Orleans that he has been on a 15-day fast that sapped his energy.
In a bizarre postgame interview, Anthony dropped the bombshell — perhaps to explain his recent shooting woes, including his 1-of-10 start yesterday and final 9-of-25 shooting ledger. Anthony, who finished with 27 points, said he eschews food to bring “clarity’’ to his life.
“I’m done,’’ Melo added. “I’m going to get some food right now. I’m going to get the biggest steak I can find.’’
Someone asked if he would have a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios — which Garnett reportedly told Melo his wife, La La, tasted like.
“I’m definitely going to get a bowl of that — for sure,’’ Anthony cracked.
Anthony said the fast had affected his energy level the past week, during which he had an on-court and off-court confrontation with Garnett that got him suspended for one game.
“Physically, I’ve been fasting a little bit,’’ Anthony said. “I haven’t been eating, but I’m done with it. I’m back eating. I usually do it to get clarity in my life. I’m done now. I can’t do it no more.’’
Melo shot just 6-of-26 in that Boston contest. After being suspended for the Indy game, Melo returned and shot just 14-of-32 against Chicago, starting out 1-of-11. Anthony made a reference after Friday’s shaky return that he was “under the weather.”
“It’s a long story, man,’’ Anthony said of his fasting ritual. “I haven’t had a good meal in about 2 1/2 weeks. No meats. No carbs. So competing at a high level, the body feels depleted.”
“It’s for my own sake,’’ Anthony said later at his JordanBrand promotion. “Sometimes in life you’ve got to replenish your body, build your body back up and get all the toxins out. [Get] all the things you don’t need in your body out. I do this every year, once a year,’’
Now it’s London calling for the Knicks, who moved to 24-13 and don’t play again until Thursday in England against the Pistons. The Knicks will get to rest weary bones and they hope to add Iman Shumpert for his season debut.
“There’s no better time for this than right now,’’ said Anthony, who will be returning to the scene of his second gold-medal triumph. “We’ll be able to rest bodies, let us heal. We’re definitely looking forward to the return of Shumpert.’’
Anthony looked well-fed in the second quarter as he collected 18 points, outscoring New Orleans 18-12. Anthony said the Knicks had a lot to prove, calling yesterday’s game “a must-win.’’
And so they did, riding Anthony’s 20-point first half, rookie Chris Copeland’s 22 points and three 3-point daggers from Steve Novak in the fourth. Backup Pablo Prigioni also had a solid game, playing more minutes (30) than Jason Kidd (22).
Prigioni, in a rut since Felton went down, was active on both ends in scoring eight points, with five assists and playing pressure defense like a hound dog.
Asked about Anthony’s slow starts, Woodson said he’s more concerned about his low energy defense, which now could be well-explained by his eating habits.
“Melo is Melo,’’ Woodson said. “I am not concerned about Melo and his offense. He will figure it out if he is struggling early.’’
Prigioni aided the second-quarter defensive surge, stripping Ryan Anderson at midcourt and storming in for a layup in the opening minute. The Knicks outscored New Orleans 27-12 in the second after getting outscored 29-22 in the first quarter as the Hornets had rung up 22 points in the first seven minutes.
“I thought we started slow defensively,’’ Woodson said. “I thought Pablo set the tone in terms of defense. We picked it up defensively in the second and Pablo was a big part of it.’’
The Knicks broke up the game with Anthony on the bench when the fourth quarter started. The Knicks began the fourth on a 13-2 run with Amar’e Stoudemire on the court. He had a productive outing, looking sharp on offense. He made two gorgeous post spin moves for buckets a nd finished with 12 points.
“It’s coming,’’ said Stoudemire.
Additional reporting by Brian Lewis
marc.berman@nypost.com