Al Harrington and the Knicks lit up Maccabi Tel Aviv on their way to the matinee win. MSG Photos

But this wasn’t any ordinary NBA preseason game, although the Knicks might have approached it like one. New York hosted Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv for the second time in three years and went on to defeat the legendary Israeli club 106-91 in a fast-paced contest. Proceeds from the game went to Migdal Ohr, the largest orphanage in Israel.   

“It’s nice to have a packed arena for a preseason game,” Knicks forward David Lee said. “It was a good competitive game out there and I thought we played well in spurts. I’m just happy we got a win, and we have to move on to Tuesday.”   

The Knicks approached the matchup just like any other preseason game they’ve played so far. They didn’t scout Maccabi and focused only on improving their own team. The regular-season dress rehearsals will come in their final two exhibition games – Tuesday vs. Boston and Wednesday at New Jersey - before the opener in Miami on Oct. 28.   

Nate Robinson, making his second consecutive start, led the Knicks with 19 points, while David Lee added 14 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the preseason. Wilson Chandler contributed 11 points for New York.   

Alan Anderson had 20 points and D’or Fischer finished 19 and 16 boards for Maccabi, which will complete a two-game visit to the United States in Los Angeles on Tuesday to play the Clippers. Maciej Lampe, who was drafted by the Knicks in 2003 and played under head coach Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix, finished with 14 and seven.   

“It is always fun to play NBA teams,” Lampe said. “It was fun playing here at the Garden which I never really did before. It was a good experience.”   

Aside from Lampe, D’Antoni admitted that he wasn’t familiar with Maccabi’s roster coming into the game. He was, however, aware of the style of play the five-time Euroleague champs would bring to the court. D’Antoni, who began his professional career in the NBA, found most of his success as a player overseas with AC Milan and actually defeated Maccabi twice to win two Euroleague titles.   

“I don’t know the European scene that well anymore, but Maccabi and Tel Aviv has a special place there,” D’Antoni said. “It’s a good basketball city.”   

Forward Danilo Gallinari of Italy and center Darko Milicic of Serbia also had stints playing overseas prior to coming to the NBA. Gallinari, the sixth pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, made his professional debut at 16 years old and played for two teams in the Italian League. Milicic, turned pro at 15, playing for Hemofarm Vrsac in Yugoslavia, before being drafted second overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2003.   

“It’s a way different game, 180 degrees different,” Milicic said when asked to compare the international game to the NBA. “It’s faster, but the best thing in the world is here. You can’t really compare them.”   

The Knicks, however, play at a speed that might be even faster than a majority of international teams, as they showed by outscoring Maccabi 20-4 in fast-break points. D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system is very similar to the way international teams play.   

“There are more big guys who can shoot and it’s more loose than the NBA,” said Milicic, who played under two minutes due to an upset stomach. “But Mike’s system is definitely similar to the European style of play.”   

Game Notes: Al Harrington, who sat out of Friday’s win over New Jersey with a bruised left knee, came off the bench for the first time in the preseason and scored 11 points in 17 minutes. … Maccabi head coach Pini Geshon was ejected in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul. … Chris Hunter, playing his first preseason minutes, scored seven points off the bench.