DRIVE TIME: J.R. Smith, who scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, drives against the Magic’s Arron Afflalo as the Knicks improved to 5-0 with a 99-89 win in Orlando last night. (AP)
ORLANDO, Fla. — They won’t beat San Antonio this way, but the Knicks’ unbeaten ride carried on in Florida Tuesday night after surviving a Disney dogfight with the reeling Magic.
For three quarters, the NBA’s lone unbeaten squad was just one point better than the depleted Magic until its stamina and veteran leadership took over at Amway Center.
Carmelo Anthony made a key defensive play early in the fourth on Glen Davis, got hot from the field and finished with 25 points. And Jason Kidd spurred the Knicks early in the fourth as the Knicks pulled away for a 99-89 victory to move to 5-0.
It’s only the third time in their history they have started 5-0 (1969-70 and 1993-94 were the others).
The Knicks trailed Orlando, 53-49, at halftime, looking like they were falling into the “trap-game mentality’’ of looking ahead to the Spurs tomorrow. But for the fifth straight game, they allowed less than 40 points in the second half — coach Mike Woodson’s proudest defensive stat — to forge their record fifth straight double-digit triumph to start a season.
“We tried to get a home run early,’’ Anthony said. “We were trying to win the game all in a couple of plays. Then in the third quarter we settled down. We buckled down, holding them to one shot or not even a shot.’’
The Spurs were the last team to fall from the unbeaten ranks one week ago, so Thursday should be quite the slugfest in Alamo City.
“We kind of overlooked a team like this, looking ahead at San Antonio,’’ Tyson Chandler said. “We had to come here and take a deep breath. It was an ugly first half.’’
J.R. Smith, behind a 5-for-5 third-quarter surge, finished with 21 points off the bench. Raymond Felton added 21 points and five assists — four of them on alley-oop lobs to Chandler (12 points).
The Knicks forced Orlando into 20 turnovers.
Asked if he’s ever been 5-0, Smith said, “Never. I don’t think I’ve been unbeaten after the [second] game.’’
Playing his new position of power forward with zeal, Anthony made a key defensive stop on Davis that spurred the fourth-quarter rally, knocking the ball away for a steal after Davis tried backing him down. Smith then came down in transition and fired in a jumper for an 86-80 lead with 6:50 left.
“I like that play, that physical stuff,’’ said Anthony. “Sometimes down there, I’m just trying to hold my ground, playing against a guy like Big Baby, 40-to-50 pounds heavier than me. It’s a matter of fighting him before he gets the ball and using my quickness.’’
Anthony was frustrated in the first half, picking up a technical for slamming the ball, feeling he couldn’t get any calls. Woodson had to calm him down, calling him over at one point. But it was all sweet down the stretch.
After his Davis steal, Anthony drained a baseline fall-away and followed that by catching an inbound pass from Kidd, making an escape dribble and drilling a left-wing 3-pointer with 4:45 left, putting the Knicks up 91-82. Anthony posed and the Knicks were on their way.
“He’s just got to keep fighting and I’m going to stay on him because he’s not going to get calls all the time,’’ Woodson said. “We can’t sit and complain about it.’’
Felton and Chandler connected on yet another alley-oop pass and ferocious jam to clinch it at 93-84 with 3:39 left as the coterie of New Yorkers chanted “Let’s go Knicks.”
“I think we just put pressure on them [in the fourth],’’ said Kidd, who played the first 9:27 of the final period because Ronnie Brewer’s knee swelled up. “We got into the passing lanes and they got one shot.’’
The Knicks’ league-leading defense didn’t stop the depleted, Dwight Howard-less Magic in the first half as Orlando shot 49 percent in taking a four-point lead. Orlando was also playing without Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu, and the Knicks made former St. John’s standout Mo Harkless look like the Rookie of the Year in the first half when he scored 10 points in 12 minutes.
“We weren’t playing hard enough,’’ Woodson said. “You can’t just roll the ball out and think because of their record, [it] indicates they may not be good. Any team can beat you.’’
“We can’t get too lackadaisical like we did in the first half,’’ Smith said. “Being 4-0 coming into this game, we can’t expect teams to roll over.’’
By the fourth, the Knicks did the rolling.
marc.berman@nypost.com