No one would confuse Kristaps Porzingis with Michael Beasley. If Porzingis is a unicorn, Beasley is some more bizarre creature, materializing at odd times in the mythical forest.

But when the Knicks have been without Porzingis twice this season, and a de facto third time Wednesday night when Porzingis exited after 2:30 because of an ankle injury, they have turned to Beasley.

The former No. 2 overall pick playing on a one-year, prove-it deal responded with six points, seven rebounds and a plus-16 while stabilizing the Knicks early in an eventual 115-86 rout of the Heat at the Garden.

Beasley’s minutes — whether he plays at all, in fact, having received six DNPs — typically have come in a seesaw with Lance Thomas, the roster’s other journeyman forward. Beasley is seen as the instant offense, as evidenced when he popped off for 30 points in Saturday’s loss in Houston, and Thomas as the defensive stabilizer.

“We have two guys to choose from,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said.

Beasley denied the nightly uncertainty — occasionally starting, sometimes not playing at all — has affected his rhythm. He said his sole mission is “playing hard.”

“At this point, [it’s] normal,” Beasley said. “I’ve got the same mentality every night, whether I play or not.”

Hornacek praised Beasley’s recent strides on the defensive end. Beasley has lowered his defensive rating — the number of points Knicks opponents score per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor — to 109.9, high but not beyond reason.

“Mike has done a nice job … not just with the scoring, but defensively,” Hornacek said. “We keep track of things like positioning and doing the right things, and he’s been good. So that gives us confidence to sometimes use him and not say, ‘Oh, we need defense, we definitely need Lance.’ ”