NBA

Felton returns, but Knicks routed by 76ers

PHILADELPHIA — Raymond Felton’s return made the Knicks as close to whole as they had been all season. Getting him back to run the point was supposed to heal their ills.

Instead, as the Knicks hit their official season 41-game midpoint, they never looked less like a championship contender than they did in Saturday night’s 97-80 blowout loss to the middling 76ers.

“Across the board, we were awful, coaches and everybody,’’ coach Mike Woodson said. “We didn’t have any effort tonight. It started from the beginning. We didn’t come to compete tonight. It was kind of disappointing. That’s just not us.’’

The Knicks, who fell to 26-15, have two All-Stars, but the only All-Star on the floor who looked the part was Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday, who ripped through the heart of their defense and rang up a career-best 35 points.

“He dominated the whole game,’’ Woodson said.

The Knicks shot 34.6 percent, including going 4-for-27 from 3-point land, looking as cracked as the Liberty Bell. Carmelo Anthony finished with 25 points, but shot just 9-for-28 from the field.

“We just didn’t have it,’’ said Anthony, who went 0-for-6 on 3-pointers. “I couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean today. We couldn’t score.’’

Felton was 2-of-8 for eight points and three assists in his first game back from a broken right pinkie that forced him to miss a month. J.R. Smith was a scoreless disaster, going 0-for-8 in 27 minutes. Iman Shumpert, in his fourth game back, went 0-for-6. Felton, Smith, Shumpert (1 point) and a scoreless Jason Kidd combined for nine points.

“My frustration was high,’’ said Smith, who recently talked about being an All-Star candidate. “I couldn’t do anything out there. Maybe I’m thinking too much.’’

The Knicks feasted on Philly cheesesteaks in the locker room after the game like the Sixers (18-25) feasted on them. Still playing without center Andrew Bynum, the Sixers went up 29 points late in the third quarter.

“It’s a major concern,’’ Woodson said of Smith’s recent shooting struggles. “J.R. is big part of what we do on both ends. Tonight he didn’t even make a shot. We got to get him reprogrammed to the way he was playing. [Shumpert] couldn’t sniff the rim either.’’

But Holiday put on a clinic, pouring in 19 first-half points against almost every conceivable defender. The Knicks tried everyone on him except Clyde Frazier and Spike Lee, both courtside.

“They beat us with two plays,’’ Anthony said. “Isolation for Jrue and once in a while a pick-and-roll with Jrue. He’s been rolling. He’s an All-Star for a reason.’’

Holiday attacked Felton from the outset, going to the rim.

“That’s what I would’ve done — go right at the guy who’s been out four weeks,’’ Felton said.

Drafting Jordan Hill over Holiday, who worked out twice for the Knicks, including on the eve of the 2009 draft, might have been Donnie Walsh’s worst moment as general manager.

The Sixers led comfortably 53-41 at halftime, then burst out on a 13-4 run in the third to knock the Knicks out.

“We had a slow start, and we couldn’t bounce back,’’ Felton said.

The lone bright spot was the continued explosiveness of Amar’e Stoudemire, who notched the first 20-point game of his comeback. In his 11th outing, Stoudemire scored 20 points, going 8-for-13 from the field, including a few vicious driving dunks on the fast break.

Perhaps Woodson will reconsider his long-range plan of keeping Stoudemire on the bench. The three-guard alignment of Felton-Shumpert-Kidd looked shoddy in its debut.

“Amare’s been great,’’ Woodson said. “Every game he’s been back he’s been better. That was a plus tonight.’’

The Knicks got off to a horrific start, falling behind 12-2 as the Sixers made their first five shots and Felton was a step slow defending Holiday. But Holiday did not limit his damage to Felton. He blew past Steve Novak, crossed over Stoudemire and scored a sweet baseline pull-up jumped over Kidd, who played despite a sore back. Kidd went to the locker room in the fourth quarter for treatment.

“We shouldn’t have nights like this,’’ Woodson said.