New York Post

Losing taking ugly toll on Thomas

- By MARC BERMAN

Maybe others don’t, but Knicks co-captain Lance Thomas takes the losing personally. And he’s starting to break.

The Greenwich Village resident and Brooklyn product is the longest-tenured Knick. And he’s seen an unbearable amount of defeats since arriving in a Jan. 2015 trade.

The Knicks reached another miserable milestone Saturday, logging 50 losses for the fourth straight season in a 115-109 Garden de- feat to the Pistons. The Knicks fell to 27-50 with five games left and will almost certainly finish worse than last season’s 31-51 mark.

It’s even a new low for owner James Dolan. The last time the Knicks logged four straight 50-loss seasons was in early 1960s (1961-64).

“I hate losing,’’ Thomas told The Post, his voice cracking. “Anyone who has God-given ability to make it to this level hates losing. Myself being the long-tenured Knick here, I’ve been part of some losing teams and it doesn’t sit well with me. I want to find a way to turn it around. I lose sleep when we lose.”

The Knicks were in the lead by two late in the third before folding. Michael Beasley scored 32 points to lead the Knicks, making 14-of-21 baskets. But he was short on a 3pointer with 18 seconds left and the club down four.

Trey Burke, making his fourth straight start at point guard, notched a double-double with 18 points and 15 assists. But the Pistons placed all five of their starters in double figures — led by center Andre Drummond’s 22 points and 17 rebounds. Anthony Tolliver also burned the Knicks for 17 points.

In a perfect sequence defining Beasley’s career, he electrifie­d the crowd late in the fourth quarter with a powerhouse left slam over Drummond. One possession later, Beasley didn’t get back on defense as James Ennis III scored on a fast-break layup.

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