NBA

Knicks melt down as Anthony, Woodson, Chandler get tossed

BY A NOSE: Tyson Chandler (inset) and Joakim Noah square off in last night’s 110-106 Knicks loss to the Bulls at the Garden. Both players would be ejected. (Anthony J. Causi, Paul J. Bereswill)

The Knicks shot ugly, fought ugly and ultimately lost ugly.

In the worst Garden night of the season during which they fell behind by 25 points late in the third quarter, the Knicks fought the referees, fought the Bulls players, but didn’t fight hard enough to win. As the final buzzer sounded on a discouraging 110-106 loss, coach Mike Woodson, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler — all ejected — weren’t around to hear it .

The loss dropped the Knicks (19-7), percentage points behind Miami (17-6) for best record in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks, who also lost to Chicago two weeks ago, shot 33 percent in the first three quarters and trailed 83-61 and then blew their cool.

First, Anthony got ejected with 6:45 left for a hard slap on the ball held by Joakim Noah, picking up his second technical foul. Then Woodson followed Anthony to an early shower 1:30 later, earning his second technical for profanely berating the referees. Woodson, outcoached by Tom Thibodeau, appeared to mouth “terrible bleeping call,’’ then adding “bleep you.’’ as a kicker.

Bad move as all hell broke loose after that.

It got uglier as Chandler and Noah squared off after the Bulls rugged center held Chandler in the paint on a rebound battle. Chandler violently broke free and the two centers appeared to knock heads. Chandler went after Noah, needing to be restrained by teammates. Both players got ejected for “fighting.’’

“I was frustrated by the way the game was going,’’ said Chandler, who got outplayed by Noah, finishing with five points. “That was that. I felt like he got a hold of me and didn’t let go.’’

The Garden fans gave a big ovation as Woodson headed for the exit. The fans chanted Chandler’s name as he left the court. But overall this loss to the Bulls and loss of their cool deserved a big boo as the Knicks dropped their second home game in three tries. The Knicks pumped in 45 points in the fourth to get the deficit within single digits in the final two minutes, but it was too little, too late.

Anthony, who watched the finish in the locker room with Chandler, had two technicals in the game and is tied with Matt Barnes for the NBA lead with eight. A player receives an automatic one-game suspension once he receives his 16th technical foul of the season.

He finished his erratic night at 10 of 25 for 29 points and afterward said he’s looking forward to the rematch next month. “We got them [Jan. 11th] in the Garden and we will be prepared for that,’’ Anthony said. “From the opening tap, they were the more physical team and carried that out. We reacted rather than coming out of the jump.’’

“I don’t think they’re used to being down that much,’’ Noah said. “If they were up 20, I don’t think they would’ve been that frustrated.’’

It’s unclear if Chandler, who emphatically denied he was in a fight, will get additional penalties or a suspension.

“We didn’t fight,’’ Chandler said. “It’s one thing if you fight. It’s another if you have a quick misunderstanding. I don’t think we should’ve been ejected.’’

Noah also has a reputation for being a chippy player.

“I don’t think he’s a dirty player at all,’’ Chandler said. “We got tangled up. It was a frustrating game and I let it get the best of myself.’’

It’s no longer home sweet home for the Knicks, who fell to 3-2 on the homestand that ends tomorrow against the Timberwolves. The Knicks also lost their cool last month in Memphis.

“Bad coaching,’’ Woodson said. “We will regroup. I have to do better. We have to come out of the gate a little better. In the heat of the battle, things are said.’’

After going unbeaten through their first 10 Garden games, the Knicks have hit a home rut as they fell despite their furious rally which occurred after all the ejections had left them with just eight bodies. (J.R. Smith had fouled out after colliding with Jimmy Butler).

The Knicks fell behind 14-2 after the opening five minutes as Anthony missed his first three shots. The Knicks were 1 of 10 after eight minutes, with no spark.

“Carbon copy of how we played in Chicago,’’ Woodson said. “We had great looks. We couldn’t get shots and we couldn’t get stops early.’’