NZ Breakers are bracing for the biggest home crowd in club history, as they prepare to face defending champions Sydney Kings in a pivotal third game of the Australian NBL finals series.
The best-of-five contest is poised at 1-1, with each team winning on the road to exchange homecourt advantage. After stealing that edge at Sydney in the opening game, the Breakers gifted it right back with an inadequate showing at Auckland's Spark Arena.
With game three scheduled back across the Tasman on Friday, the fourth encounter on Sunday looms as a must-win for the home side, with victory either sealing their fifth ANBL crown in front of their fans or desperately needed to win just to keep the series alive.
Spark Arena has already housed the Breakers' biggest home crowds, dating back to their playoff rivalry against Perth Wildcats in 2013, when 9330 crammed into the stadium.
This week, the venue will be reconfigured to allow several hundred more - just under 10,000 - to attend.
"It's going to look incredible in the stadium with the crowd now surrounding the court the full 360 degrees," says Breakers chief operating officer Lisa Edser.
"We will now have two big screens in the arena, so no-one attending the game will miss out on the full gameday experience."
