IMAN SHUMPERT (NBAE/Getty Images)
Carmelo Anthony made a triumphant return, but Iman Shumpert made a discouraging exit.
Anthony, in his first game since getting his swollen right knee drained last Thursday, looked like a new player. He was limber and light in scoring 21 points with eight rebounds in 33 tidy minutes as the Knicks romped over the pitiful Magic, 106-94, at the Garden.
It’s the first time since 2001 the Knicks (40-26), who maintained their one-game lead over the Nets in the Atlantic Division, reached the 40-win mark this early in the season.
The good feel of Anthony’s return was dampened because Shumpert was shut down in the second half with a strained left knee — the same knee in which the young guard tore his ACL in late April. He will undergo tests today, but there were signs of optimism that it is not serious. Still, with the Knicks, something always goes wrong.
Shumpert soared for a driving layup with 25 seconds left in the first half and took a spill.
“I took a step to explode and go up to the rim and I felt it pop,” Shumpert said. “Last time I felt a pop I was out eight months. I didn’t want to hear that. They feel it’s just scar tissue breaking up. I was more scared and nervous than anything else. It was a regular take off and it buckled.
“They’re going to re-evaluate me,” Shumpert said. “They wanted to know if it stiffened. While I was sitting on the bench, I was fine. I had never felt that pop [since the comeback], and I didn’t like that feeling too much. Hopefully it all goes well tomorrow.”
The sight of a healthy Anthony was sweeter on the eyes. Anthony scored on a 3-point shot on the game’s first possession and the Knicks burst to a 22-7 lead in the opening eight minutes, buoyed by their superstar’s return after he missed the past three games and six of the past eight.
Though Anthony didn’t score much early, he took the pressure off everyone else. It was 24-9 and Anthony had just five of those points.
“Big-time relief,” coach Mike Woodson said of Anthony’s first shot. “It let me know Melo is being Melo.”
Orlando rallied briefly to make it a five-point game at halftime, but the Knicks cruised in the second half for their second straight win.
Anthony looked a lot more vibrant than he did on the two games he played out west. He blew past Long Islander Tobias Harris for one layup. He also scored on an alley-oop dunk off a pass from center Marcus Camby.
“I felt different as soon as I walked out of the hospital,’’ Anthony said. “I was pain-free tonight.’’
Kenyon Martin said it was a boon to get Anthony back, “especially when he’s scoring 20 a night. It’s always a pleasure to get him back.”
Before the game, Anthony was full of bravado, predicting an Atlantic Division title.
“We still believe we are going to win the division,’’ he said at the morning shootaround. “We are going to win the division. That’s where our confidence is at right now.’’
Melo admitted he had hurt the team by playing with a swollen knee.
“I went out there and tried to play hurt and it didn’t work,’’ Anthony said. “I was only hurting my teammates by going out and trying to play.’’
J.R. Smith, who started the third quarter in Shumpert’s place, was an inside-outside threat who seemed more poised playing off Anthony, who had a solid 14 points by halftime, making five of nine shots, two of three from the 3-point stripe.
“It felt good for the most part,’’ Anthony said. “At the beginning, I wanted to try if I could do everything movement-wise and it felt pretty good.’’
“He’s our leader,’’ Smith said of Anthony’s return. “We’re just waiting for a few more guys and we’ll be all right.’’
marc.berman@nypost.com