It has been a topsy-turvy rookie year for Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who never knows if he will play or how much.

In Tuesday’s 107-103 win over the Trail Blazers, Kuzminskas found himself on the court for the entire fourth quarter and the man they call “Cheese” because he always is smiling wound up making big play after big play.

There was a terrific drive down the lane for a lefty-layup finish with 4:00 left. There was a dynamic 3-point shot off a feed from Derrick Rose with 2:36 left that pumped the Knicks’ advantage to four points.

Kuzminskas scored five of his 10 points in the final period as coach Jeff Hornacek finally showed great trust in the 27-year-old from Lithuania who played in the Olympics.

“He made big, big defensive plays,’’ Carmelo Anthony said. “He hit an absolutely huge 3-pointer. As you can see he was locked into the game tonight and helped us to the victory.”

Kuzminskas, who is averaging nine minutes per game, began the season out of the rotation because of his defensive yips, but gradually has been earning minutes. Now Hornacek knows he could be a go-to player in crunch time — with his driving ability, 3-point shooting and ability to rebound. He finished 4-for-6.

“I need to stay on this road as I am right now, keep listening to the coach,’’ Kuzminskas said. “The game in Europe is different. Things here I have to adjust and I’ve adjusted to some things. I am ready — whether it’s two, five or 10 minutes.”

Though he has been around Kristaps Porzingis since Day 1, Anthony still is amazed by what the second-year Knick, who had 31 points Tuesday, can do offensively at 7-foot-3.

The Knicks drafted Porzingis at No. 4 in 2015 to a lot of criticism, with Anthony reportedly among the skeptics, but Melo now owns up to being surprised Porizingis has gotten this good, this quick.

“I’m still in awe of some of the things he does on the court,’’ Anthony said. “Like [Sunday vs. Atlanta], he made a move and I’m like, ‘damn.’ You know what I mean? I’m still like a fan of his talent and his skill level. I always thought it would kind of take longer to get acclimated. He’s doing a great job with just kind of taking it day by day, still getting a feel for the game and figuring it out on the fly.’’

Porzingis’ help defense still has been an issue, but since a Detroit-Houston back-to-back three weeks ago, he has been nearly unstoppable on offense. Porzingis is posting All-Star caliber numbers, averaging 21.0 points on 50.2 percent shooting and 7.3 rebounds.

Rose said he doesn’t want to lavish too much praise on Porzingis for fear he could get complacent.

“Who’s not [impressed],’’ Rose said. “He’s a helluva talent. But at the same time, you can’t praise and praise and praise and praise him and not throw in a little bit of criticism there to help him. He can always improve. Everybody can always improve. He’s young. He’s 7-3. And that’s what we always tell him to do, play like he’s 7-foot-3.’’

Hornacek said he expects Joakim Noah to be over his illness for Friday’s game versus Charlotte. However, Lance Thomas (foot) probably won’t be ready. Thomas missed his fifth straight game Tuesday.

— Additional reporting by Fred Kerber