NY Knicks' Players Turned Away From Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter's Met Gala After Party

Some New York Knicks' players went from courtside glory to curbside rejection ... getting turned away from one of the hottest Met Gala after-after parties in NYC ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell TMZ ... several Knicks stars tried to hit up Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter's ultra-exclusive bash at Zero Bond late Monday night -- just hours after their Game 1 playoff win -- but couldn't get past the door.

In case you didn't know ... the Knicks didn't just win .... they obliterated Philly 137-98 and made history in the process as the first NBA team ever to win three consecutive playoff games by 25 points or more.

We're told the party, held on the club's main 5th floor, was locked down tight with a strict guest list capped at around 200 people ... even though the space can hold nearly double that.

Translation ... if you weren't on the list -- or tried sneaking in a plus one -- you were out of luck.

The Knicks weren't alone either ... plenty of known faces got turned away as Madonna and Sabrina kept the vibe intentionally intimate.

Inside, though, it was a full-on A-list scene. Katy Perry, Margot Robbie, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner all made it in, along with Serena Williams, Baz Luhrmann, Adrien Brody, Georgina Chapman, plus Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.

And in a small world moment ... Katy and Orlando Bloom ended up under the same roof ... famous exes, but we're told no drama in sight.

Earlier in the night, most of the crowd bounced between the usual Met Gala circuit -- including the GQ and Saint Laurent parties -- before landing at the Zero Bond bash, which kicked off around 1 AM and ran until about 4 AM.

Security was no joke either. Our sources say the entire block around the venue was shut down and heavily guarded. We're told some of the rejected players headed over to The Box.