Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin lunched with the writer fired for a racist headline. REUTERS

Can Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks get back to their winning ways under new coach Mike Woodson? We'll find out Saturday night as they host the lowly Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks-Pistons game tips off at 7:30 p.m. EDT. You can catch the action via NBALiveOnline.com's free live stream.

New York (23-25) reeled off five straight wins at the dawn of the Woodson era, but the club succumbed to the flight-challenged Toronto Raptors (16-32) last night in a 96-79 loss. Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan was sensational in the game, scoring a game-high 30 points.

The Knicks are clinging to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

For the Pistons (16-31), the playoffs appear out of reach.

New York's defense has stepped it up under the defensive-minded Woodson, who took over for the offensive-minded Mike D'Antoni this month. In four of the five Knicks victories with Woodson at the helm, they have held teams to fewer than 89 points.

The Pistons are trying to avoid a five-game losing streak Saturday night. Their last four defeats include an 88-73 loss to the Miami Heat (35-11), who were led by Dwayne Wade's game-high 24-point performance.

New York is led by Carmelo Anthony, who is averaging 20.1 points per game. Meanwhile, Jeremy Lin leads the Knicks in assists with 6.2 per game, which complement his average of 14.7 points per game.

It's unclear if Detroit's leading scorer, shooting guard Chancey Stuckey -- 16.3 points per game, tied with center Greg Monroe -- will play in this matchup. He's listed as day-to-day.

Monroe's battle with Knicks center Tyson Chandler should be one of the more interesting duels in Saturday's game. How will it pan out? Watch via free live stream to find out.