HEAD coach Paul James has urged his Worcester Wolves players not to hold back against champions Leicester Riders tomorrow (4pm).

With the British Basketball League play-offs starting on Friday James admits he is wary of picking up injuries.

But he insists Wolves do not have the “luxury” of taking their foot off the gas against the BBL Trophy winners at Leicester Arena.

“We will just play our game,” James said.

“Once you start second guessing yourselves and maybe holding back that’s when injuries do happen because you lose focus so we need to go out there and play the way we have been.

“We want to be going into the play-offs playing as well as we can so I don’t think we have got the luxury of holding back.

“We want to win and keep working hard as a team to keep that confidence up.”

Leicester beat Worcester 77-66 in the opening month of the campaign as they went on to dominate the division.

But Wolves ended Riders’ 16-match unbeaten run with a stunning 93-91 victory at the University of Worcester Arena last month.

James insisted Leicester “thoroughly deserve to win” the title having led the way for much of the season.

But he feels Wolves could have challenged if his side had produced the form they are showing now earlier on.

“The league table does not lie,” James said. “With the results Leicester have had they have been the most consistent and thoroughly deserve to win the league.

“Had we played as well as we are now at the start of the season we might have been up there competing.

“But we weren’t so we have got another opportunity to get a win going into the play-offs.

“Post-Christmas we have come a long way and been the form team, competing against and beating the best sides in the league.

“We can go into the play-offs with a lot of confidence but we have done well because we have worked hard, had each other’s backs and given that winning effort every single game.

“That’s what we need to continue doing so there is no way we can afford to be complacent.

“We beat them here the last time we played them and I am sure they will be looking for a bit of revenge.”