Randy Duck will insist on a tougher defensive effort as he makes his home debut calling the shots for Brighton Bears tonight.

The interim coach takes charge of a Bears side looking for a 14th win in 15 games as they tackle Newcastle Eagles at the Brighton Centre (7pm).

Only Sopot have beaten Bears since early December, while their winning run in domestic games goes back three months, but there were signs of defensive frailty in Saturday's 122-103 success at Thames Valley.

Duck, standing in for Nick Nurse, was expected to work on that ahead of tonight's tip-off.

He said: "I looked at the game notes and we hold people to 78.5 points per game. Then in one half they almost had all of that.

"I made an issue of it at half-time but they still scored 20s in quarters and I don't think that gets it done."

Duck, currently sidelined with an adductor injury, admits it is tough watching from the sidelines, though he will be in good company tonight as star Newcastle playmaker TJ Walker is also ruled out.

The Bears skipper said: "It's hard because I've just been injured so I've got that strong urge to do what I see.

"I'm proud of the guys though. It's tough for them having one of their guys be their coach.

"We started off well on Saturday and then hit a lag. I just want to be a bit more consistent."

Rival teams hoping to make the most of Nurse's absence and Duck's injury will be disappointed, according to Thames Valley coach Paul James.

He said: "I didn't see any difference. They played hard, pulled together as a unit and shot the ball well."

Top scorer Kendrick Warren is equally confident ahead of a game Bears will be expected to win well.

He said: "Everything is still in place. You've just got to challenge yourself to play as hard as if Nick was here and not take a night off. When I was playing in the CBA I had coaches coming on the court yelling so it's a bit more laid back here."