NBA

Novak can’t score point for Knicks

Steve Novak has been invaluable for the Knicks this season, a fan favorite who delivered enormous 3-point sharpshooting.

But no longer. Not against Miami.

Novak has been ineffective in three playoff games for the Knicks. In last night’s 87-70 Game 3 loss to the Heat at Madison Square Garden, Novak was handed a starting lineup spot with Amar’e Stoudemire out with a lacerated hand. Novak then went 0-for-2 from the field, failing to score a single point in 22 minutes.

For the series, Novak has hit only three shots and taken only seven shots. And he has scored only nine points.

“I’ve got to do a better job of getting Steve acclimated to this series. He hasn’t really been awake the whole series,” J.R. Smith said. “They’re not giving him any type of daylight.”

This season Novak was the NBA’s best 3-point shooter, sinking 47.7 percent of his long-range attempts. After the All-Star break, only one player in the NBA drilled more treys than Novak. And 20 times this season, he scored in double figures.

But against Miami, Novak hasn’t been able to get rolling.

In Game 1, he took three shots (all 3s), hitting one for three points. In Game 2, he launched only two shots (again, all 3s), hitting both for six points.

Last night, though, he couldn’t do anything. Novak missed the one 3-pointer he attempted, an errant try from the wing, then later attempted a mid-range jumper that was off too. With 7:11 to play in the fourth quarter, Novak finally swished one — hitting a corner trey. But the hoop was waved off, because Miami’s Shane Battier had committed a foul that negated it.

“They’re not leaving him,” interim coach Mike Woodson said.

Added Tyson Chandler: “They did a good job of not leaving him. They close out really fast.”

Alarmingly, Novak — normally one of the most accommodating Knicks — was not around in the locker room to speak to the media after the game.

He will suit up again on Sunday for Game 4, which could be the final game of the Knicks’ season and the final game of Novak’s Knicks career. The forward will become a free agent following the season.