Kobe Bryant had the ball in his hands with the game on the line – twice. The first time, he drilled a dramatic 3-pointer to tie the game and force overtime. The second time, he simply ran out of luck as the final buzzer sounded on the Knicks’ come-from-ahead, 117-115 overtime win last night at the Garden.

Bryant nailed a game-tying 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left on the clock and sent the game into overtime with Kurt Thomas, the Knicks’ best defender, squarely in his face. With a chance to win it or send the game to a second OT, Bryant passed to Luke Walton in the key, got it back on a give-and-go and had nowhere to go as the clock expired.

“Just a mix-up in communication,” Bryant said of the play. “I kicked it to Luke, thought he had a pretty good look at it. I wasn’t expecting the ball back. He fired it back to me and I bobbled it.”

The 3-pointer at the end of regulation gave Bryant 27 points and the Lakers a new life, after squelching a Knick lead that had ballooned to as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter. With 1:24 left in the fourth, Bryant’s Lakers trailed by 12.

The next time he hit a basket – with 2:25 left in OT – Bryant potted a traditional 3-point play when he went high over Tim Thomas, who was late on the help defense, drew the foul and drained the free throw to put the Lakers up by four. Bryant finished with 30 points.

With 27 seconds left in OT, Bryant turned the ball over and gave the Knicks the stop they needed with the game tied at 115-115. Chucky Atkins fouled Stephon Marbury on the ensuing possession, Marbury hit both free throws and then Bryant had his chance to tie it again and force double-overtime.

But the Lakers froze, Walton passed instead of going up strong and Bryant found himself stuck in front of the Knicks bench with no time left and no options. Game over.

“If I had to do the situation to do over again, I’ll hit you again,” Bryant said of what he’ll say to Walton about the play.

“I have complete confidence in his [Walton’s] ability to make that shot. I hope he knows that. When we get on the bus, that’s what I’m going to tell him.”