Indiana @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 12, 2019 ) New York 98, Indiana 103

The New York Knicks fired coach David Fizdale and hope the change will create some momentum heading into Saturday's game against the visiting Indiana Pacers. New York, which has lost eight straight games, is an Eastern Conference-worst 4-18 this season and was 21-83 during Fizdale's short tenure.

Lead assistant coach Keith Smart was also dismissed and assistant Mike Miller, a former college and G League coach, was tabbed to take over the team on an interim basis. New York's front office has been viewed as dysfunctional and the squad put together by team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry has lost seven games by 20 or more points already this season. Indiana has won seven of its past nine games but one of the losses occurred Friday when the Detroit Pistons used a 51-33 rebounding advantage to help post a 108-101 home victory. "It's always about execution," Pacers coach Nate McMillan told reporters afterward. "We didn't get stops when we needed them and when we did force a miss, they got the offensive rebound."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, MSG (New York)

ABOUT THE PACERS (14-8): Power forward Domantas Sabonis is on a roll and he had 18 points along with 13 rebounds against Detroit for his seventh straight double-double and 15th in the past 16 games. Small forward TJ Warren has also been excelling as he scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting against the Pistons to post his fifth 20-point effort in the past seven games. Warren is averaging 22.6 points during the stretch while shooting a scorching 60.2 percent from the field, including 16-of-27 from 3-point range.

ABOUT THE KNICKS (4-18): The last two games of the Fizdale Era were particularly ugly as the club lost by 44 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday and by 37 to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. First-round draft choice RJ Barrett (14.4 season average) is among the players who are struggling as he is just 8-of-32 shooting and averaging nine points over the past three games, but he isn't yet convinced that he is in a funk. "I have no clue. It happens. Slumps happen. I wouldn't even say I'm in a slump," Barrett told reporters. "I just didn't make certain shots that I can make and as the year goes on, watch, I'm going to get hot and you guys are going to be like, 'Oh, what's the difference now, you got hot?' Well I just made the same shots I was missing before."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Pacers went 4-0 against the Knicks last season and have won the past six meetings.

2. Fizdale's .202 winning percentage is the worst in franchise history.

3. Indiana C Myles Turner had just four points on 1-of-8 shooting and grabbed only three rebounds against Detroit.

PREDICTION: Pacers 113, Knicks 103