The Otago Nuggets know exactly what they have to do tonight.
It is the same message coach Mike Kelly has delivered every week.
They simply have to find a way to get up and down the court quicker if they are going to have a chance to upset the Franklin Bulls in Dunedin.
They were exposed by a talented Wellington Saints lineup at home on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors played with pace and shredded the Nuggets’ defence to post a 111-99 win.
Shea Ili led the charge. The talented point guard poured in 31 points and he linked up with forward Hyrum Harris, who banged in 24 points.
The Bulls will have taken notes.
They are fresh from a 103-94 win against back-to-back champions the Canterbury Rams.
Tae Hardy (30 points) linked up with the Cameron brothers Tobias and Flynn (19 points apiece) and Ethan Rusbatch (19 points) to unseat the Cantabrians in Auckland.
"You know what, we got run out of the gym," Kelly said when asked about the last outing against the Saints.
"We were a step behind and that showed.
"In saying all that, we kept fighting to give ourselves a chance to win it in the end.
"It’s just our defence. If we give up [that many] points a game, we’re going to struggle to beat good teams.
"[The transition defence] has been a focus all season.
"We’re not a huge team. So we need to be really solid in our fundamentals.
"And right now, we’re not where we need to be.
"So defensively, the guys will fight and will keep playing even when we’ve had big leads against us, which is encouraging.
"But if we have better starts and defend well, I think we’re going to be right in the games."
The game was supposed to be Josh Aitcheson’s 100th for the Nuggets, but he has been sidelined with a calf injury and may miss the away fixture against the Canterbury Rams.
His team-mates Matthew Bardsley (94) and Darcy Knox (92) are also closing in on the milestone.
Leonard King (181), Mark Dickel (124), Matt Gillan (112) and Hayden Allen (109) are the only players understood to have reached the mark, so it will be quite an achievement for the trio.
Nuggets guard Don Carey jun sat out practice on Monday. He has a foot complaint but is expected to play tonight.
The match is an important one for the Nuggets who are in the middle of a tough four-game stretch.
They have had losses to the Auckland Tuatara (5-3) and Wellington Saints (6-2), and the game against the Bulls (5-2) tonight and the Rams (5-2) on Sunday will be challenging.
Those four sides all shape as playoff contenders whereas the Nuggets (3-4) appear to be in the next tier down battling for the last one or two playoffs spots.
NBL
Dunedin, 7pm
Otago Nuggets (possible): Jonathan Janssen, Jaylen Sebree, Jose Perez, Don Carey jun, Darcy Knox, Matthew Bardsley, Christian Martin, Patrick Freeman, Caleb Smiler, Mac Stodart, Mike Ruske, Danyon Ashcroft.
Franklin Bulls (possible): Till Gloger, Wena Okwera, Ethan Rusbatch, Naquante Hardy, Tobias Cameron, Flynn Cameron, Marcel Jones, Payton Hughes, Christian Vano, Kenechukwu Nwafor, Zion Anderson, Harrison Coker-Grey.
