The Knicks returned from the All-Star break even more shorthanded than they’d been in the weeks before the NBA shutdown.

But even with workhorse guard Josh Hart added to the street-clothes crew with a knee injury, they kicked off their final stretch of 28 regular-season games by pulling out a gritty 113-111 overtime decision Thursday night over the Bulls at the Garden.

With OG Anunoby (foot) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) also still out of the lineup, Towns overcame a poor shooting start — 2-for-15 in the first half — to finish with 32 points and 18 rebounds, including 20 points in the third quarter and six more in OT.

Jalen Brunson scored 18 of his 22 in the first half, fill-in starter Miles McBride contributed a season-high 23 points with three steals and three blocked shots.

Ariel Hukporti and Mikal Bridges also added key fourth-quarter rejections as the Knicks (37-18) won for the 10th time in their past 12 games.

Bridges’ block saved the game at the end of regulation, rejecting a Nikola Vucevic attempt near the basket on an inbounds play in the final seconds to preserve the tie and force overtime.

“Whatever’s in front of us, we just have to find a way to get it done,” Tom Thibodeau said. “We had some moving parts in this game, and in the end, we found a way to win, and I was proud of that.

“Because we need everyone. We’re shorthanded. Our margin of error is tight, but just go out there and find a way to win.”

The third-seeded Knicks now will face the two teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference on the road this weekend — Friday night in Cleveland and a Sunday matinee in Boston.

“You trust the medical people, the player. So when they’re ready to go, they go, and if they’re not ready to go, they don’t go,” Thibodeau said. “And then the next guy get in there.

“If we’re in a back-to-back, we worry about the first game [now]. We’ll worry about the second game tomorrow.”

Four Knicks nailed 3-pointers in the first quarter but they trailed 21-19 through 12 minutes, with Towns missing eight of his first nine field-goal attempts.

The Knicks used a 20-7 spurt — including treys by Achiuwa and McBride — to grab a 10-point lead midway through the second en route to a 50-43 edge at intermission.

“I couldn’t shoot worse than 2-for-15, so s–t,” Towns said. “I don’t know, I just stayed confident. Just never give up on the game, mentally, just staying connected, and my teammates did a great job of motivating me and empowering me to stay confident.”

Ayo Dosunmu’s 3-pointer pulled Chicago within one with under four minutes remaining, but Towns hit 9 of 11 from the floor in the third as the Knicks carried an 83-81 advantage into the final quarter.

Bridges (13 points) sank three midrange jumpers, Landry Shamet drilled his second triple of the game and the rookie Hukporti contributed an emphatic rejection of Coby White early in the fourth to help the Knicks push their cushion to seven with 8:48 remaining.

The Bulls responded with nine straight points, including a tying 3-pointer by Giddey and two free throws by Julian Phillips, to pull ahead 94-92, but Bridges answered from long distance to retake a one-point edge just past the midpoint of the period.

Another Giddey blast from the left corner pulled the Bulls even again, and the Knicks trailed by one before McBride drilled another trey for a 100-98 Knicks lead with less than two minutes to play.

Following Vucevic’s go-ahead 3, Brunson coolly hit a step-back jumper from the right elbow for a 104-104 tie with 29.0 seconds to go.

Bridges then denied Vucevic’s inside attempt at the fourth-quarter horn to force overtime, and the Knicks quickly pulled back ahead by seven on McBride’s fifth 3-pointer of the game and three buckets by Towns three minutes into the extra session.

White buried a straightaway 3, however, and the Bulls had a chance down by two in the closing seconds, but Vucevic’s turnaround jumper fell short at the buzzer.

“Just play together. Slow start but we found a way, found a way to win,” Brunson said. “I’m just happy the way we played, the way we fought through regardless of what was happening. I’m happy about that.”