AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Mike Woodson admitted he blew it.
The Knicks coach said yesterday he could have protected Carmelo Anthony from a nasty spill that KO’d him with a right-knee injury Monday had he only listened to his star’s request to exit the game. Now the gaffe could cost Anthony at least two games.
“Melo was hurting,” Woodson said in his weekly appearance on ESPN Radio. “He asked me to come out of the game before he actually took that spill. It made me realize something wasn’t right. He’s never ever, ever wanted to come out of a game. I’ve played him too much. Melo is a trouper, warrior and tough kid.”
The Knicks listed Anthony as questionable for tonight’s game at Detroit because of a “stiff/sore right knee.” General manager Glen Grunwald, in an appearance on WFAN, said Anthony is “not certain” for tomorrow’s game against the vaunted Thunder at the Garden.
“We’re going to try to be smart about it and not rush it along,” Grunwald said. “See how he reacts to treatment. We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hopefully he’s a quick healer, which he has been in the past.”
Woodson’s mea culpa occurred the day after the Knicks rallied to beat the Cavaliers after Anthony left the game with the team down 22 points. Anthony checked into the game with 8:57 left in the second quarter and two-plus minutes later he was on his backside, his knee buckling after catching a midcourt feed from Jason Kidd.
“I should have [taken him out],” Woodson said. “Stubborn coach. I just didn’t. We’re down 22. I’m going to leave one of my best players in the game.
“Maybe I should’ve taken him out before he stumbled and took the fall,’’ Woodson added. “I’m thinking the game, he’ll play through it and figure it out. He was hurt, and walked out after he took the spill and didn’t come back. That’s not Melo-like.”
Anthony said his knee has bothered him for two weeks, but the Knicks medical staff has not diagnosed anything serious. Anthony said he underwent an MRI exam Saturday and no structural damage was found.
Woodson disputed the suggestion Anthony was motivated to bolt the contest because he was dejected the club was down 22 and he was playing at less than 100 percent. Anthony was 0-for-4 shooting in the first quarter and 1-for-5 when he left, finishing with a season-low six points.
“I definitely don’t agree with that,” Woodson said. “Melo has been a driving force of what we’ve been about. Anybody that thinks that way, I wish you wouldn’t think that way — that he walked off because the game was out of hand. A 22-point lead in this league is nothing.”
Anthony said he knew his knee wasn’t right before tip-off.
“Before the game, I felt like I was like dragging my right leg,’’ he said on his way to the team bus Monday night. “And maybe that one particular possession, I didn’t really have the control that I wanted of that leg and kind of tripped over my other leg.”
Anthony said earlier this season he prefers not to play through injuries, as he did last season when he was beset by several ailments. He has missed seven games so far — including one due to suspension for quarrelling with Kevin Garnett. In those seven games, the Knicks won three and lost four.
Anthony missed two games with a lacerated finger, two with a sore left ankle and two with a hyperextended left knee.
This time, Anthony has complained about tightness in the back of his knee — though he said it’s not pain.
The Knicks face a daunting March schedule containing 18 games, 10 on the road. They start a five-game West Coast trip Monday in Golden State.
“It’s going to be tough, especially down the stretch that we have, the road trip ahead of us,” Tyson Chandler said. “It’s a tough journey for us regardless — and especially without Melo.”
The Knicks have responded before minus Anthony. In Monday’s comeback victory, Amar’e Stoudemire inherited the role as closer and emerged as the hero with 22 points.
Previously the Knicks beat the Heat without Anthony and won in San Antonio with Anthony largely a non-factor.
“We have guys that can step up,” Kidd said. “If Melo’s out for a little time, it gives guys who don’t get a lot of minutes some time to play.”
marc.berman@nypost.com