Antonio McDyess didn’t scrimmage with his teammates and couldn’t run full court in practice. Yet he insists his surgically repaired left knee is responding well despite the latest soreness, and coach Don Chaney wouldn’t call yesterday a setback.

Only the Knicks could make something so potentially devastating sound cheery. Chaney did admit McDyess is questionable for tonight’s hyped clash against his former Denver squad and Marcus Camby at the Garden.

“I know he was sore today,” Chaney said. “He did individual work.

“He was scheduled to go up-and-down, and he couldn’t do it. He was limping all over the place.”

Asked about the knee, McDyess conceded it was sore but said “it did well” on the five-game road trip.

He managed 26 minutes at Utah and Chaney feels McDyess could now be ready to start, that is, if he can play at all.

Allan Houston is another question mark with a sore right knee.