Basketball: Breakers anxious to avoid another slip-up

Mika Vukona. Photo / Sarah Ivey

They may have locked up the minor premiership but the Breakers are hardly in championship form with just three matches of the regular season remaining.

Saturday night's loss in Townsville - when they coughed up a 15-point second-quarter lead - was their third in five matches. The two wins over that stretch were not exactly convincing - a one-pointer over the Crocs in Auckland and a double-overtime nail-biter on the Gold Coast.

Not so long ago the Sydney Kings would have shaped as perfect opponents for a much-needed convincing victory on the North Shore tonight. However, the Kings have been on a surge of late, winning four of their last five to double their win tally for the season and climb off the bottom of the NBL ladder.

The Kings also boast the league's premier big man, Julian Khazzouh, who will be keen to exploit the Breakers' unconvincing defence.

With a 13-day lay-off to follow tonight's match, the Breakers are keen to avoid another slip-up.

"We want to win all three of them coming up," forward Mika Vukona said.

"We want the momentum going into the finals. It's a great opportunity for us to build on our confidence. Any win going into the playoffs is going to help any team."

Vukona conceded the Breakers had not been in great form of late but also pointed out that other teams would love to be in their shoes, with home advantage for the finals locked up.

"First position is exactly where we want to be and I think every other team would want to be there," he said. "We've got to play sensible the next three games and come out with a lot of positives."

Given that they were playing to avoid the wooden spoon, the resurgent Kings would be tough. And after two home defeats early in the season the Kings would also be keen to avoid a season sweep by claiming the Breakers' scalp on the road.

"They are a positive group now so it is going to be tough. It's hard enough playing against them when they are hot but also we are number one in the league so there is a big target on our backs," said Vukona.

"You know every team is going to come in and take it up another level so we are definitely not taking this game lightly."

A darling of the Aussie press, Khazzouh is the main obstacle to Kirk Penney claiming his second MVP title.

Vukona, though, was of the school of thought that the MVP should go to a player from a successful team.

"I've never known one to be given to a team that has come last, but that's just me," he said.

"Khazzouh is a definitely their most valuable player. He's big in terms of shooting, rebounding and blocking so I guess you could make a case for that.

"It is going to take a whole team effort to stop him."

Breakers v Kings
North Shore Events Centre, 7.30 tonight.