Breakers fine tuning the order ahead of Kings clash

The SKYCITY Breakers are ready for a wounded Sydney Kings outfit to ride into town as both teams go searching for a first win in the Australian Basketball league for 2017/18 when the two clash at Spark Arena tomorrow (Friday) night.

It is the first of two back to back clashes, with a quirk in the draw seeing the Kings returning for round two next Thursday at the same venue.

Head Coach Paul Henare will have a full roster to select from for the Black Friday confrontation, with Kirk Penney looking good at practice today after suffering from a bout of gastro during the week.

"Kirk is looking good today, we sat him out Tuesday but he is bouncing back from feeling quite sick, but he is looking sharp today so all good. It is important to have Kirk firing but it is not the be all and end all. Across the board we had several guys that played below expectations, I know that Kirk and several guys are looking to bounce back."

Penney downplayed the illness and any effect on him during the game against Cairns.

"I am feeling a little bit better, I was knocked down with a bug, but it is great to be out on the court with the boys. When you have a job to do you just go out and do it, you always have some side issues you have to deal with. You are always trying to do your best and lead by example regardless of anything that is going on, unfortunately we werent able to do that effectively in game one and we all have areas to improve on tomorrow, including myself.

"We just want to get our first win as quickly as possible and keep that win column rolling. We are just trying to come together as a team and finding your rhythm out there. Wins will come, in practice we have shown we can do a lot of good things. You dont have to focus on the score, just do the work at both ends of the court and the wins will come."

Henare has not been trying to reinvent the wheel this week, rather it has been a case of fine tuning and ensuring players take a high degree of confidence into the game.

"We had it all there going into the game against Cairns, but the end of our execution wasnt great, whether it was sloppy turnovers or not converting plays. We got ourselves into a position to put points on the board but didnt capitalize, after the review it was more about focusing on getting those good looks and knocking them down by staying true to who they are as individuals."

Sydney bring a strong roster across the Tasman under the coaching of Andrew Gaze, and after a first up defeat to Adelaide, are also looking to get their season on track, with Henare ready for an onslaught.

"They will be the same as us I guess, no one likes losing and you want to bounce back and win. I expect they will be fired up for this game."

Next Home Game

Friday 13 October

7:30pm tip off

6:15pm doors open

Spark Arena, Auckland

SKYCITY Breakers v Sydney Kings

Tickets online via www.nzbreakers.co.nz

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand