Porzingis

Kristaps Porzingis believes Carmelo Anthony is not upset his brother appeared critical of the former Knick in an interview.

And although Porzingis said Thursday he still hasn’t spoken to his former teammate about the issue, a source said that a member of his camp reached out to Anthony’s camp to explain it was a misunderstanding.

“I know he understands that those kind of situations — they happen,” Porzingis said ahead of Anthony’s return to the Garden on Saturday. “Things get pulled out (of the interview) and he’s focused on playing and I’m focused on playing.”

Anthony and Porzingis enjoyed a reciprocal relationship while together in New York. They praised each other publicly, with Anthony calling Porzingis the future, and Porzingis calling Anthony a boon to his development.

Think about that. Anthony scored 24 points on 11 for 17 shooting, marking just the second time in 10 games that he scored at least 20 points. In fact, it was his highest scoring game since he put up 28 against Denver on Nov. 9.

Westbrook was a beast; he had 27 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists. But he was also out of control and not very accurate. He missed 23 of 33 shots, was 5-for-12 from the line and blew two dunks.

There were times when Anthony was visibly frustrated with Westbrook for not passing and times when Westbrook was upset with Anthony for not rotating defensively. In the locker room they seem to have a good rapport. And Anthony chuckled when asked if it is difficult playing with a point guard who is also going 100 miles per hour.

“Yeah, it’s definitely an adjustment, not just for me but for Paul (George),” Anthony said. “We’re used to having the ball in our hands.”

Westbrook ended his topsy-turvy night by waving goodbye to Joel Embiid as the teams walked off the court. Embiid, who scored 34 points in 49 minutes, had previously waved goodbye to Steven Adams after the Thunder center fouled out in the third overtime.

Anthony had a few run-ins with Embiid as well. During one sequence, Anthony found himself trying to guard the Sixers 7-foot center in the post. Embiid scored on Anthony, was fouled and let him know about it. Anthony went right back at Embiid, who walked away and began playing to the crowd by waving his arms.

Carmelo can only hope he gets that type of reaction from the Garden crowd on Saturday. His transition from leading man in New York to third wheel in Oklahoma City hasn’t been smooth. The Thunder’s Big 3 — Anthony, Westbrook and George — is a work in progress. With Friday’s win, Oklahoma City improved to 14-14.

Defensively, the Thunder is sound. It’s offensively where OKC has struggled. Westbrook wants to play fast while George and in particular Anthony want to play at a slower pace. The Knicks have fared better than expected in the post-Melo, post-Phil Jackson era. They’ll enter Saturday’s game with a 15-13 record, having played 18 home games already.

Jeff Hornacek’s team also looks and plays differently without Carmelo or, more precisely, iso-Melo. These Knicks make the extra pass and move without the ball. You know the old saying, sharing is caring.

Kristaps Porzingis, when healthy, is clearly comfortable as the Alpha dog. Meanwhile, Enes Kanter, who, along with Doug McDermott, was acquired in the Melo trade, has made a major contribution and is a fan favorite.

Anthony agrees that ditching the triangle offense has been important and revealed that he discussed that with his Knicks teammates prior to the September deal with OKC.

“The damage was done at that point,” Anthony said, referring to a trade being the best resolution for both he and the Knicks.

Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry were wise to exercise patience and resist the deal Jackson pursued: Anthony to the Houston Rockets for Ryan Anderson. That deal would have been better for Anthony. Not so much for the Knicks.

Anthony’s willingness to accept and understand that his time in New York had run its course accelerated the rebuilding process. At 33 and with over 36,000 regular season minutes played he had to hook up with a contender. And if things don’t work out with OKC, Anthony could always opt out of his contract in July and try to hook up with LeBron James…(although he’d be crazy to turn down a guaranteed $28 million).

The Knicks and their loyal fan base should be thankful that Carmelo not only wanted out but that he handled the divorce with class.

His exit didn’t set back the Knicks. His arrival did.

February will mark the seventh anniversary of Anthony being traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York. Two seasons after that trade, Anthony led the Knicks to a first round series win over Boston Celtics, the Knicks’ first and only playoff win since 2000.

But then it was Carmelo’s impatience and James Dolan’s inexperience that prevented Anthony from having a bigger impact in New York. Had the Knicks waited until the summer of 2011, they could have signed Anthony as a free agent.

Instead, Dolan, having lost LeBron to the Miami Heat seven months earlier, wanted to make a big splash without realizing he was in the shallow end of the pool.

The Knicks acquired Anthony for Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors’ 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash. The Knicks could have held onto those assets if Anthony and Dolan had S waited until July. ix years later, the Knicks trusted their instincts and didn’t rush into a deal. They traded Carmelo when it was convenient for them. That alone is worth a standing ovation. “We all have to move on,” Anthony said. “Coming back to the Garden is always a show. I want to win for many reasons. We have a chance to sweep this road trip. It will be fun to be back in the Garden.”