Derrick Rose twirled around, clapping at the Garden crowd, thanking them for their vocal chords during his on-court, postgame interview. It was his second-best move of the night.
The best came in the final 10 seconds of Tuesday’s 107-103 victory over the Trail Blazers, when Rose hit his biggest shot as a Knick and sent the electric throng home in support of a .500 team into Thanksgiving.
Whether it was backup Brandon Jennings lighting it up in the third quarter or Rose rising up in the fourth, the Knicks have point guards. Finally.
Rose, after a sluggish start and being benched most of the third quarter because of foul trouble, sank a 14-foot step-back jumper from the left side with 6.8 seconds left that rattled in and carried the club to a victory.
“I’m not here to brag,’’ Rose said afterward, “but I am used to being in positions where I have the ball in my hands. I have had an opportunity to play through my mistakes at a young age, and it’s allowed me to have poise in those situations.’’
The bucket gave the Knicks a four-point lead and they moved to 7-7 after winning their fifth straight home game, fourth in five contests overall.
Rose was removed with 9:18 left in the third quarter after getting his fourth foul. His backup, Jennings, a steal from last summer’s free agency, flourished and ran the show with grace, building up 11 assists by the quarter’s end.
But Jennings got cramps in his left shoulder and both of his calfs, leaving coach Jeff Hornacek with one choice in the fourth — Rose.
“He carries a lot on his shoulders,’’ Courtney Lee said, “so when he hits a big shot, you just feel good.’’
Rose showed no emotion after hitting the shot, which earned ribbing from his teammates.
“He was aggressive,’’ Carmelo Anthony said. “That’s the Derrick I want, I need and we all fell in love with.’’
During a fourth quarter in which Anthony went scoreless and got booed, Rose and Kristaps Porzingis (31 points) carried the club home. Rose scored eight of his 18 points in the final period and notched five assists total.
“I need these experiences,’’ Rose said. “I need these progressions. It is all legs. If you have one injury it resets everything let alone three [injuries]. I missed preseasons. All those little things count. These three years I have been playing catch up.
“I label myself as a winner. I am still far away from where I want to be and the player I want to become. At the same time I really want to win. There is nothing better.’’
Defense has been an issue for Rose, but this fourth quarter certainly will kick-start his status with Jennings breathing down his neck for playing time. Once, the Knicks had no point guards. Now they have two potential gems.
“Brandon doesn’t have to score to have an impact on the game,’’ Hornacek said. “His impact, activity, he gets the energy going for the group. I can’t say enough for a guy who can come off the bench and get 11 assists.’’
Porzingis had a terrific night, finishing his second 30-point outing of his career. He added nine in the final period. The Knicks also got an unexpected bench boost from Euro rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who struck for 10 points (4-of-6 shooting) — five in the fourth.
Anthony missed all three of his shots in the final period and finished with 17 (7-of-22). But he got a big rebound in the final minute and batted back a key offensive board to Lee after Rose missed a floater, giving the Knicks possession with 25.8 seconds left. Anthony had heard loud boos from the Garden throng familiar to past fourth-quarter flameouts.
“I had to do something,’’ Anthony said jokingly. “I appreciate Courtney complimenting me, telling he how those plays win games because I missed shot after shot.’’
Anthony struggled after coming in with 6:30 left. He bricked an open 3-pointer, bricked a mid-range jumper and then had his shot blocked by Maurice Harkless with 1:03 left and the Knicks up two.
Rose came to the rescue, outdoing Portland point guard Damian Lillard, who finished with 22 points but was no factor late as the Knicks’ defense scrapped — even with Jennings sidelined.
“I think [Saturday’s] meeting was great, guys got stuff off their chest,’’ Jennings said. “I knew after the meeting it might be the turning point.’’