WORCESTER Wolves are “highly motivated” by the prospect of avenging their gut-wrenching defeat to Manchester Giants tonight (7.30pm), insists head coach Paul James.

The British Basketball League clash brings back painful memories for James after Giants “stole” an 89-88 victory at the University of Worcester Arena in November.

Jermel Kennedy missed one of his two free throws to leave Wolves with a slender 88-86 advantage six seconds from the end.

And Worcester were then left disconsolate when Moritz Lanegger landed a long-range winner for Giants who currently sit at the foot of the table.

“Manchester stole the game from us last time so we have got to put that story right,” James declared.

“It was a very tough defeat as we had a seven-point lead going into the last minute of the game.

“So that will be in the back of our minds, knowing we have got to play for the full 40 minutes to finish the game off.”

This evening’s encounter will be Wolves’ fourth match in eight days, including a 96-78 loss at Plymouth Raiders in the first leg of their BBL Trophy semi-final on Wednesday.

James said his players were “a bit beaten up” and admitted their hectic run of fixtures had also been a “mental” battle.

“When playing so many games in a short space of time the physical side does come into it but it is also about having the right mental state,” the Worcester boss continued.

“We have all got a job to do to make sure the players are ready to go again.

“We want to put our best foot forward and I am sure we will be highly motivated for the game.”

Wolves beat Manchester at the Trafford Sportsdome in October, meaning they are 1-1 in their head-to-head.

James said it was a “huge game” in seventh-placed Worcester’s quest to cement their place in the play-offs.

But he feels the hosts will have to overcome a Manchester side “full of confidence” after ending their 11-match league winless streak with a 78-68 victory over Cheshire Phoenix last Sunday.

“Manchester are going to be fresh as they have not had any extra games and are going to have in their mind what they did to us last time,” James added.

“They are going to be full of confidence but it is my job as a coach to get the team up again for this.

“We can’t do anything about what happened on Wednesday, that’s done as we have got another chance when we go up against Plymouth in a couple of weeks’ time.

“Our focus has to be solely on this Manchester game and two points we desperately need if we want to make sure we make the end-of-season play-offs.”