Knicks at Jazz
The Utah Jazz are having some trouble putting together a winning streak and no longer have a chance to close out 2018 with a .500 record. The Jazz will try to finish up 2018 with a win and earn a split of a four-game homestand when they host the struggling New York Knicks on Saturday.
Utah, which kicks off a four-game road trip on Jan. 1, slipped to 17-19 with a 114-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday - the team's sixth setback in the last 10 games. "We didn't defend at the level we need to," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters after watching his team allow the 76ers to shoot 50 percent from the floor. "You can look at a lot of things offensively - we had looks and didn't make them, those things happen. We just didn't execute defensively with the same amount of focus and urgency that we've been playing with." The Knicks are fighting to stay out of the Eastern Conference basement with losses in six straight and 11 of 12. New York kicked off a six-game road trip that will take them through Denver, Los Angeles, Portland and Golden State with a 112-96 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (9-27): New York coach David Fizdale changed up his starting lineup on Thursday, pushing center Enes Kanter to the bench and moving power forward Luke Kornet up to the first unit. Kornet matched a career high with 23 points while going 7-of-11 from 3-point range. "I wanted to see what that starting lineup would look like and shake it up," Fizdale told reporters. "Obviously, we haven't been playing well. I'm just trying to get these guys a win. I'm not giving up on that. I figured, let's shake it up a bit and see how that looks."
ABOUT THE JAZZ (17-19): Utah got a boost off the bench offensively the last two games from point guard Dante Exum, who followed up 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in a Christmas Day win over Portland on Tuesday with a season-high 20 points in Thursday's setback. The 23-year-old scored in single digits in each of the previous five games and is averaging 7.2 points in 16.1 minutes as the backup to Ricky Rubio, who was 1-of-10 from the floor on Thursday. "A few weeks ago, Dante was at a point where he really just needed to continue to invest and continue to work, and that's what he's done," Snyder told reporters. "You can see that he's playing with more poise and more confidence, and I think that's reflective of the effort he's put in and the focus he's had."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Jazz C Rudy Gobert extended his streak to six straight double-doubles with 17 points and 15 rebounds on Thursday.
2. Knicks SG Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) sat out Thursday and is questionable for Saturday.
3. New York took both meetings last season.