KEY POINTS:
The Breakers will be up against it when they begin a three-match road streak against the runaway NBL leaders Sydney Kings in Sydney tonight.
The Kings blitzed the Breakers by 20 points in Auckland three weeks ago.
Coach Andrej Lemanis said a better start would be needed this time around.
"It's important we back ourselves and play with a confidence and aggression that we didn't find until late in that first game," Lemanis said.
"They dictated terms and generated the result, so we have to go out there pumped up with an aggressive mindset and be proactive."
The Breakers had just three days off for Christmas and Lemanis said the team had reported back in good shape.
"It was a good time out to mentally freshen up and rest some niggles, but we've come back pretty well. We were at a certain level heading into last Thursday's win over Wollongong and the intensity level hasn't dropped off."
Shooting guard Kirk Penney said memories of the Kings raining three-pointers on the Breakers earlier in the month were still fresh in his mind.
"We've got to go hard and push them out of their comfort zone," he said.
The Kings will have been 13 days without a game, but Lemanis stopped well short of describing them as there for the taking.
"There's no doubt every team coming off one of those big breaks has been affected," he said.
"It breaks up your rhythm and can throw out your timing.
"But even if the Kings do come down a peg or two, they're still a pretty good basketball team."
Tonight's trip to Sydney will be followed by another next week when the Breakers play the Wollongong Hawks on Friday and the West Sydney Razorbacks the following night.
Those matches appear much more winnable and the Breakers will need a result in one, if not both, to preserve their playoff aspirations.
