Knicks starters fail smell test, bench forces OT in 100

It’s one thing to beat up on a Philadelphia 76ers team missing two perennial All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Paul George. It’s another thing entirely to face the reigning Western Conference runner-ups at full strength.

The Knicks learned that the hard way Thursday night.

Their starting five was outclassed in a humbling performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves — but a late push from New York’s second and third units flipped the score into a 100-95 overtime victory to open the preseason at Madison Square Garden with a win.

The Knicks shot just 12-of-45 from the field and 4-of-27 from three through the first half, including an anemic 2-of-15 stretch that spanned the entire second quarter. They entered the final period with 63 points on 69 shot attempts, and the starters had combined