The eighth-placed Heat head to Bankstown on Saturday to take on the league’s top side knowing that a win will go a long way towards securing their spot in the playoffs.

“We’re approaching this game as a must-win,” captain Zac Maloney said.

It’s no small challenge – only one side has beaten the Bruins all season, who boast formidable experience.

But there’s only one way to take the guesswork out of the Heat’s finals equation.

“We’ve got four games left and if we win all four we will be right but if we drop one, we’re relying on other results or hoping other teams lose,” Maloney said.

Other results were kind to the Heat last week, who had the weekend off but still rose into the eight for the first time this season.

The 23-team competition is extremely tight with only one loss separating the teams ranked sixth to 12^th. 

Back-to-back wins against Dubbo two weeks ago was a massive confidence boost and kept their season on track.

The task against Bankstown won’t be made any easier with Miguel Escandon missing, but Maloney believes they can manage if they maintain their focus on defence.

“We’re travelling with nine. The beauty of our team is we’ve got guys who can rotate around and play different positions,” he said.

“Everyone’s going to have to step up. 

“When we play our best defence, that’s when we play our best basketball. Our offence and our team basketball come from our defence so that’s what we need to do, especially against Bankstown.”

The Heat’s final three games are against Queanbeyan (15th) next weekend, before a double road trip to Canberra (third) and Illawarra (last).