Coach Anthony Stewart delivered an edict to his team ahead of the big Silverdome clash with Nelson Giants.

The Tasmanian side has led by 15 and 14 points to three-quarter time at Hobart and Launceston, only to concede the lead - and both games - in the dying minutes.

Stewart is the first to admit "we don't seem to weather the storm" in their inaugural New Zealand NBL season.

"When things starting to tighten up, a few guys seem to go missing," he said.

"It's not a great sign for us at the moment.

"But you've got a choice: you can lay down and throw away your season or you can come back and fight.

"It will tell me a lot about the character of this group in the next couple of weeks."

The seven-point loss to genuine New Zealand NBL title contenders Southland Sharks was the Huskies' first venture to Launceston.

It left Stewart miffed, compounded by a number of soft foul calls against the Huskies and an accompanying fine after publicly criticising the New Zealand-based referees.

The players hope to feed off the vibe of a larger crowd in the Saturday night slot.

But Stewart is demanding more resilience on the floor.

"I just don't know what to expect now," Stewart said.

"I was really excited in the first half with some really good basketball - the first three quarters were.

"We have played some exceptional basketball, but I don't really know.

"It's the missing piece...it's a tough one to take. We just have had no sense of urgency when things get tough."

The Giants will look to replicate the Sharks' 1-3-1 zone defence that worked effectively late on the Huskies.

That could include giving out jobs to lock down on key Huskies Jalen Billups, Tre Nichols and Craig Moller.

Stewart recognises things won't get easier against the 3-2 side. The Huskies have fallen to a 2-4 record.

"Nelson is a difficult team to beat and we're going to need to be on our game if we're going to take it to them," he said.

"We've been training hard and working on the inconsistencies we've seen in the last couple of weeks.

"We'll bounce back and hopefully come away with the result."

Giants coach Mike Fitchett has kept a close eye on the Australians for what he called an "historic" occasion for the club.

Nelson is the smallest of the nine cities that make up the NZNBL, little more than half the size of Launceston.

"The Huskies have been unlucky in the last couple of weeks," he said.

"So we are expecting them to be playing with a huge amount of desperation as will we.

"I'm sure this will be a great game."