CHICAGO — The way this magical Knicks streak and magical Carmelo Anthony surge had unfolded, Anthony’s last-second shot from the left of the key in regulation seemed destined to fall.
But the Knicks’ run of fortune ran out in Chitown as well as Anthony’s brilliance. Instead, on a night of small-ball, the smallest player on the court became the hero and trampled the Knicks’ 13-game winning streak.
Former Knick Nate Robinson, all 5-foot-7 of him, dazzled in the second half to lead the Bulls from a 15-point third-quarter deficit and beat the Knicks 118-111 in overtime Thursday night at United Center. The Bulls, who also snapped the Heat’s 27-game winning streak, swept the season series 4-0.
Robinson finished with a season-high 35 points and had a jolly old time mimicking Steve Novak’s championship-belt motion.
Anthony topped Robinson’s total with 36 points, becoming the first Knick to roll six straight 35-plus games. But this one was empty as he missed a chance to win it in regulation off an inbound pass with 1.5 seconds left, bricking a 20-footer. The Knicks went stone cold in the overtime and Anthony finished shooting 13 of 34, compared to Robinson’s 10 of 18 — 5 of 11 from 3-point land, 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.
“I thought I had a clear shot to the rim,’’ Anthony said. “I really thought the ball was going in, to be honest with you. I wasn’t really trying to go overtime, due to the fact we were limited. The shot felt good.’’
The Knicks suffered their first loss since March 16 in Los Angeles as their big-man injuries finally took their toll. The Knicks started a front line of rookie 6-foot-8 Chris Copeland at center and the 6-foot-8 Anthony at power forward. It was their smallest starting lineup in 40 years, according to Elias Sports Bureau, and had no paint presence and not enough grit minus Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson was OK the streak ended this way.
“The streak is over with,’’ he said. “It would have been nice if Carmelo’s shot went in and we would be leaving here with a win. However, there is no shame at all in losing a streak like that.’’
The Knicks were outscored, 13-6 in overtime, as the Knicks shot 3 of 11. The Bulls fans giddily chanted “MVP’’ when Robinson went to the free-throw line in the game’s final minute.
The overtime session started ominously when on the opening tip, point guard Raymond Felton took a bad step, tumbled and clutched his left knee. He stayed down for a few scary moments, finished the game but couldn’t keep up with Robinson. He was limping heavily in the locker room afterward and mentioned he has a mild sprain but said he expects to play tonight in Cleveland.
“I think Nate likes playing against Coach Woodson,’’ Woodson said. “Really, he is a handful at keeping in front of him.’’
Woodson was making a reference to the night in Atlanta four years ago when Robinson was a Knick, had been benched for several weeks by Mike D’Antoni and finally was unleashed, going for 45 points.
“He made plays, big shots down the stretch,’’ said Anthony, who jawed with Robinson during the game.
The magic number to clinch the second seed remains at 3. And it’s a good thing the Knicks will likely get No. 2 because they surely will avoid the Bulls in the first round. A drop to the third seed could get them Chicago — the lone Eastern team it hasn’t beaten.
Anthony was nonplussed.
“They can have it, they can have it,’’ he said. “They can have the regular-season wins. They did a great of beating us four times. We’re not worried about them at this point. We’re concerned about ourselves.’’
Anthony and Copeland had poor shooting nights against the Bulls’ bigger frontline but Chicago also was without starting center Joakim Noah and backup power forward Taj Gibson.
Ironically, it was also the night they set the NBA record for most 3-point makes in a season, breaking Orlando’s mark of 841 in the first half on a J.R. Smith trey.
In OT, Luol Deng hit a big 3-pointer, Anthony bricked a jumper, leading to Robinson’s rebound. Smith got a technical foul that Robinson converted and moments later Robinson drove past Iman Shumpert, who was dealing with a personal issue, for the game-sealing layup with 1:36 left, giving the Bulls a 114-107 lead.
“We competed, we played hard,’’ Anthony said. “For the most part, we played a great game.’’
marc.berman@nypost.com