KEY POINTS:
The statistics are firmly in the New Zealand Breakers' favour, but coach Andrej Lemanis is expecting just another Australian National Basketball League battle tomorrow night.
The Breakers are away to the competition's bottom side, the Gold Coast Blaze, who have managed just two wins in 15 games.
The Auckland-based franchise, meanwhile, are sitting second on the table, separated from leaders the South Dragons by just percentages, with both teams having identical 12-3 win-loss records.
The Breakers have beaten the Blaze in all four previous meetings, including the two so far this season.
They are also on a five-match winning streak, and have been undefeated in their past four outings in Australia.
But Lemanis is wary of opponents who have started to hit some form, with both their victories coming in their past five fixtures.
"They've had some injuries, and those players all seem to be back, so we'll get them at full strength," he said today.
"Every game in this league is a battle and, the last time we played them, it was a three-point ball game."
The Breakers sneaked home 116-113 on their trip to the Gold Coast a month ago.
It was a contest in which they led at every change, and by 17 points at one stage, but they had to fend off a fast-finishing Blaze, who tied the scores with a minute to go.
The Breakers are also coming off a physical battle in their 108-94 success over the Perth Wildcats last night, while Gold Coast have had a two-week layoff.
Lemanis said shooting guard Kirk Penney would be right to take the court, after having been hampered by a thumb injury against Perth.
The league's top scorer with an average of 27 points a game, Penney managed just six points against the Wildcats after hurting his thumb the day before in practice.
Lemanis pointed out that having other players come to the party to fill any gaps was something that had been spoken about constantly within the camp.
"What we have is a great team and everyone is prepared to do his bit and play his role," he said.
"That puts us in a really good place. We're not relying on one or two guys to carry the load every night and I'm starting to feel it more and more."
For Lemanis, victory over the Blaze would give him a personal milestone, but one that he hadn't been aware of.
It would be the Breakers' 50th win since he took over the reins 3-1/2 seasons ago.
"It's not something you focus on," he said.
"You focus on the processes and the results take care of themselves."
- NZPA
