NBA

Shumpert’s trey-mendous stretch not enough for Knicks

INDIANAPOLIS — The shots just kept coming from Iman Shumpert. They kept going in. But it wasn’t enough.

In the Knicks’ 106-99 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers last night, it was Shumpert who delivered a surge that nearly saved the Knicks’ season.

Midway through the third quarter, Shumpert almost singlehandedly brought the Knicks back from 10 points down with not one, not two but three straight 3-pointers on three straight trips down court.

It was an a major eruption for the second-year Knick. Shumpert, who finished with 19 points, poured in 16 in the third quarter. He tied it at 79-79 later in the third quarter with a fourth 3 — as he and Carmelo Anthony racked up a ridiculous 31 of the Knicks’ 34 third-quarter points.

“We wanted to put ourselves in the finals and roll the dice and we didn’t do that,’’ Shumpert said. “I just wanted to win.”

Shumpert’s explosion came out of nowhere. He had been limited in the first half by foul trouble, playing just 6:33 because three personals. He had scored a total of five points in the game and the Knicks were down 70-60 with 5:23 left in the third quarter, their season looking finished.

Shumpert then sank a three from the wing, cutting the lead to 70-63. On the Knicks’ next possession, Raymond Felton’s offensive rebound resulted in the ball being in Shumpert’s hands again, and he drained another 3-pointer from the wing, trimming the lead to 70-66.

On the next possession, Shumpert dropped in a 3 from the top, the lead down to 70-69 that put the Knicks in a prime position to force a Game 7.

Shumpert turned around and clapped his hands furiously. The big spurt: three 3-pointers in 52 seconds to shave a 10-point lead to one. But it was all for naught.

“I just think we let up and started to trade baskets,” he said. “They were scoring on every possession and the only way to stop that is to stop them and we didn’t do that.”

On the next possession, after Indiana had pushed the lead to 72-69, J.R. Smith drilled a 3 of his own, tying the game at 72-72.

Shumpert was clearly feeling it — after his corner 3 in front of the Indiana bench tied it at 79, he turned around and glared at the Pacers.

Despite stretches of shoddy play, Shumpert — who tore his ACL in his left knee in the playoffs last season — had a strong playoff run, an encouraging sign for the Knicks.