Anne Hathaway's courtside seats Wednesday night might have been just a little too courtside ... 'cause she nearly got a faceful of a sprinting Knicks player!!
Check out video from the first quarter of New York's tilt with Chicago at Madison Square Garden ... OG Anunoby almost crashed right into the actress and her son as he hunted for a loose ball.
The 6-foot-7, 232-pound forward tipped a Josh Giddey pass -- and then ran after it ... but thankfully, he was able to put the brakes on before he did damage to Hathaway.