SALT LAKE CITY — Bobby Portis was thankful the NBA fined him and didn’t suspend him for Wednesday’s Utah game, but he still plans to appeal the $25,000 hit.

Portis was whacked by the NBA for his slap at Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s head Tuesday as the Lakers guard drove for a layup late in the second quarter at Staples Center. After Caldwell-Pope lay prone on the floor in pain, he was examined for a concussion.

“I went after the ball,’’ Portis said before the Knicks’ 128-104 loss. “I didn’t mean any harm or hurt anyone. I’m happy he didn’t get hurt. Happy to see him do his thing on the court. When you get a Flagrant 2, it’s going to be a fine. I didn’t think it would be that much.’’

Asked if he will appeal, Portis said he would.

“Obviously you try to when they take more than they should,’’ Portis said.

Caldwell-Pope actually returned to the game in the fourth quarter, but the NBA may have done the Knicks a little favor by not suspending Portis. The Knicks were reeling from Julius Randle leaving the squad in Los Angeles to deal with a serious family issue while Marcus Morris was out with a neck injury for Wednesday’s western trip finale against Utah.

Portis was ejected on a Flagrant 2, and NBA executive Kiki VanDeWeghe called the action “recklessly making contact above the shoulders of an airborne shooter.”

Interim coach Mike Miller supported Portis after the game. Before facing Utah, Miller didn’t want to get into the league’s view about the play being reckless.

“He apologized for the play, said it wasn’t intentional,’’ Miller said. “The league weighed in on it. Now I think the thing to do is move forward. Bobby wants to move forward.”

As for Randle, his return to the team is unknown, but it seems unlikely he will return for the Friday game vs. New Orleans. GM Scott Perry and president Steve Mills also looked heartbroken well after the game.

“It’s a personal matter,’’ Miller said. “We’ll respect his privacy and give him a chance to deal with this situation. When he’s ready to come back he’ll be back.’’

Reggie Bullock started at small forward for Marcus Morris, as Miller bypassed Kevin Knox again.

Knox has looked timid in recent games and in the first six minutes against Utah, he didn’t take a shot. Nevertheless, he got bolder as the game wore on and tore in for a layup in the third quarter. But his shots aren’t really falling. He was 2 of 10 — 0 for 5 from the 3-point line — finishing with six points in 29 minutes.

Despite the massive amount of garbage time, Allonzo Trier did not play.

PG Emmanuel Mudiay, whom the Knicks did not pursue in free agency, has found a home off the bench for Utah and dumped in 20 points against the Knicks.

Before the game, Jazz coach Quinn Snyder said he was thrilled with his commitment and intangibles.

“I’ve really liked a lot of things — beginning with the commitment he made to grow as a player. He’s given himself up to his team and teammates. That means scoring at times, pickup points up the floor. It means not getting screened, blocking out on the defensive glass, pushing the ball. It means putting in hours and hours of work.’’

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