KEY POINTS:
With a stretch of six away games in their next eight, the Breakers are desperate to end their five-game season-opening home stand with a victory against Gold Coast Blaze tonight.
With the 0-5 Blaze propping up the NBL ladder it's certainly a case of mission probable and, having lost for the first time this season last week against Cairns Taipans, the Breakers will be looking to bounce back strongly.
Having fallen flat last week after selling out the North Shore Events Centre for the first time in the club's history, the Breakers were keen to atone for the 122-111 loss to the Taipans, coach Andre Lemanis said.
"The energy and intensity in practice has been up, as you'd expect it to be, and I think the guys are looking forward to getting out there."
They'll certainly hope there is no repeat of last week's curious refereeing display by rookie official Tim Brown. The whistle-happy Brown hammered both teams but there is no doubt the Breakers came off second-best, with the Taipans going to the free-throw line 50 times to the Breakers' 16 courtesy of the lopsided 37-24 foul count.
That incessant whistle put the Breakers off their defensive rhythm but Lemanis refused to be drawn on the quality of the refereeing.
"The fouls are the fouls and that has an impact on the game but at the end of the day we need to control our mindset and our [defensive] application right from the start of the game."
The numbers suggest the Breakers should make no race of it against the struggling Blaze. They lead the league in scoring with 115.8 points per game while the Blaze are badly last with just 82.6 per game.
But Lemanis isn't taking anything for granted against a Gold Coast club that boasts Tall Blacks veterans Pero Cameron and Casey Frank and NBL legend Shane Heal.
"Certainly they'll be desperate for a win, they are in a tough situation right now. But it is about us controlling what we can control and I expect us to be desperate as well, coming off our first loss of the year."
Back-up centre Tim Behrendorff has trained fully this week and will play but Adam Tanner is still out for another week to 10 days.
