WASHINGTON — Another night, another sickening franchise milestone.
It was an unlucky 13 for the baby Knicks as they set the record for longest losing streak in franchise history. Derek Fisher’s depleted crew dropped its 13th consecutive game, falling 101-91 to the Wizards at Verizon Center to fall to a league-worst 5-33. The 1984-85 team had the previous longest losing streak at 12.
“We can’t be worried about how many losses and franchise records,’’ said Jose Calderon, who led five Knicks in double-figures with 17 points. “It’s not my main concern. If it’s a record, it’s a record.
Hopefully we can cut it as soon as possible.’’
With a current 13-man roster filled with seven players who played in the Las Vegas summer league last July, the Knicks got to within 83-78 midway through the fourth quarter.
Washington, with its sharp ball movement, recovered to repel a Knicks squad that hasn’t won since beating Boston on Dec. 12 . They were playing Wednesday without Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire and reeling from the recent departure of three rotation players — Samuel Dalembert, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert.
“We don’t like our record,’’ Fisher said. “Where it falls in franchise history, it will be reality. But that doesn’t have to define us at all. When things are going well for us and setting records the other way, it will just be a part of this job.
“We can’t get caught up in the history and the records.’’
Washington, which shot 51 percent, was led by Nene’s 20 points and John Wall’s 18 points and eight assists.
The Knicks are on pace for an 11-win season, meaning Phil Jackson can go from 11 rings as an NBA coach to 11 wins as the team’s president.
During a couple of junctures in the second quarter, the Knicks had five of their summer league players on the court together in Larkin (10 points), Cole Aldrich (11), Cleanthony Early, Travis Wear (11 points) and point guard Langston Galloway, who was signed to a 10-day contract Wednesday and made his NBA debut against the Wizards (22-11).
In relative terms, the Knicks stayed in it for 3¹/₂ quarters — down by just 12 at halftime. They fell behind by 20 midway through the third, but rallied to close the gap to 10 points after three quarters.
The Knicks made a run midway through the fourth as Galloway (seven points, 2-of-8, three assists) hit a jumper to make it 83-76 and Larkin drove for a hoop to close the Knicks to within 83-78 with 6:33 left.
That’s as close as they got.
“We didn’t give up on the game,’’ Fisher said.
With Jackson’s purge this week, Fisher is off the hook, not expected to win until the 2015-16 season.
Fisher said the turnover in personnel “solidifies the fact that we’re trying to build something that’s going to last and not just squeeze out a win here or there.”