Brisbane are quietly confident decorated forward Mika Vukona can play a full part in their NBL title bid after he limped out of their loss to the New Zealand Breakers.
Vukona was bulldozed by a driving Shawn Long near the end of the 109-96 defeat in Auckland on Sunday and appeared in considerable pain as he clutched his right knee.
It compounded a night in which the fourth-placed visitors were exposed defensively, suffering a second-straight loss to suck them back into a dogfight for the finals.
While coach Andrej Lemanis said the Bullets need surgery on their playing methods, he is hopeful scans will clear five-time NBL champion Vukona of serious damage.
"The initial thought from the physio was more on the positive side than the negative side," he said.
While 36-year-old Vukona's minutes are down this season, Lemanis rates the Kiwi an important part of the Bullets arsenal.
The pair were coach and captain during the Breakers' dominance of the league from 2010-13.
Lemanis wants more Vukona-like aggression in Brisbane's defence during this week's critical home-and-away clashes with the Sydney Kings, saying they failed to get the stops they needed against the attack-minded Breakers.
If the Bullets win both games against the Kings, starting with Friday's home fixutre, they'll move level with Sydney at 14-11 record, adding further congestion to the play-offs race.
While the narrative for several weeks has been that Brisbane, Adelaide 36ers, Illawarra Hawks and New Zealand are in a four-team battle for one finals slot, Lemanis warned the top three of Perth Wildcats, Melbourne United and Sydney aren't home and hosed.
"The reality is that any team can lose the rest of their games... the league's that close," Lemanis said.
"While it looks like four into one, who knows what happens with those top three teams?
"Everyone's destiny is in their own hands, which is a fun way to be."
