MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mike Woodson called the Knicks “snakebitten.’’ Carmelo Anthony said the team has “got to put this one behind us.’’ J.R. Smith said it was “terrible’’ — and he was referring to his new mask, not the final score.
Another night, another heartbreaker, another reason for owner James Dolan, who made the trip to Memphis, to sing the delta blues for real.
The Knicks rallied from an 18-point second-quarter deficit and led by five with 2:28 left; by three with 1:52 left. All the trappings were in place for a stirring post-All-Star break upset triumph hard off Beale Street.
But as has been their modus operandi, it ended in misery. The Grizzlies rallied to squeak out a 98-93 victory at FedEx Forum with Dolan viewing the final-minute collapse from the 10th row behind the Knicks bench.
The Knicks fell to 13 games below .500 at 20-33.
“Not much to say at this point,” Amar’e Stoudemire said.
“Up five, two minutes left, on the road, you got to close it out,” Woodson added. “But we’re kind of snakebitten right now. I’m proud the way we fought, but we got to win games.”
The ending ruined a sensational second half for rookie Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 19 of his 23 points after stinking out Memphis in the first two quarters. Anthony, fresh off his record-setting night in the All-Star Game, missed his first seven shots but came on strong for 22 points and 11 rebounds.
However, it all came down to the fingertips of point guard Pablo Prigioni from the 3-point line. Prigioni helped direct the second-half comeback and finished with seven points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
Trailing by three, Hardaway forced a 3-pointer with 17 seconds that missed everything, but Anthony got the offensive rebound and the ball was worked around to Prigioni, who launched another 3 from up top.
“It was so in, but then it was in and out,’’ Prigioni said. “We had a great second half, but we didn’t close the game. We let go of the game. I feel bad. We should win this game.’’
By contrast, Knicks-killer Mike Miller (19 points) hit the dagger 3-pointer — left wide open with the Knicks in scramble mode. The Knicks went from up two to down one with 45 seconds left — a lead the Grizzlies didn’t relinquish.
“Just a defensive lapse,” Woodson said of Miller’s shot. “It cost us.”
Smith, the newly masked man, had a poor offensive night and ended it in a bad way with a late airball and turnover. Trailing by three, Smith shot the ball over the rim from the right corner after a sharp feed from Anthony. He finished with four points on 2-of-8 shooting.
“[The mask is] terrible to play with,’’ said Smith, who is protecting a fractured cheek bone. “I’m just going to have to deal with it. As long as I can play, I’d rather wear it.”
The Knicks were a disaster in the first half, letting Memphis make it look easy as the Grizzlies shot 53 percent en route to a 50-37 lead. But the Knicks came out with a renewed spirit in the second half.
“Very disappointing,’’ Anthony said. “To be up, fight our way back, go up five, six [with a] couple minutes on the clock and give it a way. Very disappointing. We got to put this one behind us, too.’’
As Miller let fly in the final minute, Anthony knew the night might end badly.
“All I saw was Miller wide open,’’ he said. “Once it was up, I was hoping he didn’t keep his follow-through up.’’
Miller followed through and the Knicks followed their losing script.