SALT LAKE CITY -- Finding consistency is still a work in progress for Utah heading into 2019.

Persistent questions face the Jazz on both ends of the court heading into Saturday's clash with the New York Knicks.

Utah has fit the definition of roller-coaster team to this point in the season. The Jazz have shown a tendency to follow elite defensive play with flat efforts and alternate sizzling shooting performances with acute offensive struggles.

The Knicks (9-27) are also searching for answers as 2018 winds down. New York has won just two games in December and carries a six-game losing streak into Salt Lake City after losing back-to-back games against Milwaukee on Tuesday and Thursday.

In those two games, the Bucks won by an average of 15 points while scoring 110.5 points. Knicks coach David Fizdale shook up the starting lineup on Thursday, replacing Enes Kanter with second-year center Luke Kornet, and the move gave them an early spark.

Kornet stretched the defense a bit, going 7 of 11 from 3-point range. He finished with 23 points, matching his career high.

It could open the door for Kornet, who played 10 games in the G-League earlier this season, to have a larger role going forward.

"That's what I was hoping for, a guy that was going to space the floor for us," Fizdale told the New York Post on Thursday. "He opened up the floor for us to be able to attack the paint."

If Korent is able to create more space, it could help Kevin Knox continue to blossom.

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