Knicks 79

Hornets 74

Baron Davis slithered into the lane and rolled past Dikembe Mutombo by a half-step. But as Davis rose for what he figured was an easy layup, Mutombo swatted Davis’ shot from behind with 5:58 left.

That was the end of Davis’ forays into the paint. And yesterday’s inspiring 79-74 Knick matinee victory over the Hornets at the Garden must put an end to the Knicks being viewed as soft in the middle.

Mount Mutombo has arrived.

Mutombo, 37, had his third dominating double-double in four contests, scoring 13 points with 12 rebounds, five blocks and two steals (both interceptions in the final two minutes). Not coincidentally, the Knicks won each game and have won four of their last five.

With Mutombo acting as if he’s in his prime, with a new-and-improved offensive game to boot, the Knicks (7-10) have reason to believe this season is going to be different than the last two.

Even if it does not work out so well with Antonio McDyess, who should return tomorrow.

It wasn’t surprising Knick GM Scott Layden walked through the Garden tunnel with an extra bounce to his step after a victory over an Eastern power that was held to 31.9 percent shooting.

“I’m getting an opportunity to play more minutes,” said Mutombo, who played a season-high 38. “That’s allowed me to be more focused, more relaxed on the court. I’m surprised and enjoying it.”

After rejecting Davis, who scored only 13 points on 5-of-22 shooting, Mutombo decided against wagging his finger. Instead, he violently shook his head back-and-forth, then directed words to the superstar point guard.

“I was talking-trash to him,” Mutombo said. “He’s the MVP in the league right now. I get an opportunity to not allow him to score as much as he does, you have to be proud. I was very proud of what I was doing to him today.”

The Hornets used to punish the Knicks because of their size edge. No longer. Davis, averaging 24.3 points, said, “I tried to get it to the hole, but whenever I did, Mutombo was right there.”

Mutombo’s big day made Keith Van Horn’s non-factor return from a six-game absence no big deal.

“The last seven games, we’ve buckled down defensively in the fourth,” coach Don Chaney said. “Having Dikembe there allows us to get into guys and take chances at the perimeter, so when you get beat, he’s right there to protect. Baron Davis is one of the best penetrators in the league, but even when he drove, he was looking for Dikembe.”

A career defensive specialist, Mutombo’s recent offensive surge has him more pumped on the defensive end. In the first half, Mutombo, who was 4 for 7, hit another turnaround jumper – a shot he recently added to his small arsenal.

With 6:40 left and the Hornets within 67-64, Mutombo got the ball on the low left block, dribbled right, into the lane, and sank an ugly skyhook. Mutombo, who also had a put-back dunk off an offensive rebound, claimed he got only one play called for him all day.

“I don’t want him to be our offensive go-to guy,” Chaney said. “But I’m not afraid when he has the ball down low. Usually, good things happen. I’m amazed at his ability to score.”

With 2:01 left, Mutombo, at the perimeter, intercepted a Davis pass intended for David Wesley. With 15 second remaining, Mutombo picked off Brown’s pass up top. Chaney became so excited he slapped Mutombo’s hand on the court.

“They run similar plays to New Jersey,” Mutombo said. “I kind of knew the plays and they have the same calls. They forgot I played there.”