Trey Burke 's " Allen Iverson like " performance - 42pts 12asts - CAREER HIGH

Trey Burke won’t admit the braided hair is a tribute to his idol, Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. The Knicks’ new starting point guard does admit, though, he is striving to come close to Iverson’s grandeur.

Burke has done Iverson proud on back-to-back nights. One night after leading to the Knicks to victory in Washington with late heroics in his first start for the team, Burke did one better in notching a career-high 42 points — 35 after halftime — to go with 12 assists on Monday.

It wasn’t enough to stop Kemba Walker and the Hornets in a 137-128 overtime thriller at Spectrum Center. Walker posted 11 of his 31 points in overtime and hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in regulation over Michael Beasley.

Burke had a chance to win it in regulation. After waving off Hornacek’s timeout gesture, Burke wound down the clock, waved off a pick from Luke Kornet, lost control of the ball and had to heave up a desperation airball at the buzzer. But wins and losses aren’t as important to the Knicks in March and April as finding their 2018-19 point guard. In his two starts, Burke is making the case he’ll be their starting man next season.

“Charlotte continued to allow me to see what I can get off the screen and I took advantage of it,’’ Burke said. “I’m not thinking about having a bad game. That’s how I played in the past. Now I don’t what care what no one thinks. That’s how I can play freely. Being a young player in the league, sometimes it takes longer to adjust.’’

Late Sunday, after his first start as a Knick resulted in a rare road win over the Wizards, Burke sat in the visitors’ locker room next to his former Michigan buddy, Tim Hardaway Jr., who recently described a Burke performance as filled with “his little A.I. moves.”

“I just got tired of cutting my hair,” Burke said of the Iverson comparison. “I think the fans saw it and ran with it.”

Against Washington, he showed flashes of Iverson’s razzle-dazzle, willing the Knicks to victory with 19 points, three steals and three assists.

Monday, it was Iverson deluxe — shooting 19-for-31 from the field in becoming the first Knick since Bernard King in 1985 to post a 40-12 game.

“Nothing new to me,’’ Hardaway said. “I’ve been seen him doing this since we were at school in Michigan. He’s meant to be here. He’s supposed to be here. He’s not a G-League player, he’s not an overseas player.’’

The 2013 Utah lottery pick is in the middle of reversing a reputation as a bust in 29 games with the Knicks. It seems management finally noticed enough to allow Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek to give Burke his first start.

“I got a long way to go,” said Burke, who has a partially guaranteed deal for next season. “I know that. A.I. is a goal. Pound for pound, one of the greatest to ever play. I want to get there one day. I believe it.”

The Michigan man and former NCAA Tournament hero had to restart from the bottom. But Burke has the kind of Iverson brashness these young Knicks will need next season.

“When I get my hair braided, everyone’s like, ‘You look like Iverson, you got the tattoos, the way you move,’” Burke said. “More than anything, it’s my movements and crossover. That’s all from watching him. His mid-range. I watched a lot of Michael Jordan. Those were two guys who inspired me to play the game of basketball. I can remember being 4, 5 years old watching those two.”