MANCHESTER Giants are gearing up for their toughest weekend of the season.

A freak of the BBL fixture computer has pitched them against leaders Newcastle Eagles twice in three days as they look to end a three-game losing streak and get their play-off bid back on track.

The Giants travel to the north east on Friday night before hosting the same team – who are fresh from their BBL Trophy final success last weekend – on Sunday at the Trafford Sportsdome.

Coach Jeff Jones' fell agonisingly short last weekend – going down by 90-89 at Surrey United.

Antony Downing put in one of the individual performances of the season, including a late game-winning shot with 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on the night.

And the early stages of this game provided an indication as to what would come, with the teams rarely separated by more than one shot and tied for around five of the ten first quarter minutes.

But the hosts broke the game open in the second stanza, taking 53-43 half-time lead.

Thereafter it was Giants who looked as though they would win the game. They levelled at 59 on an 11-2 run as Stefan Gill opened the third quarter with a three-pointer and Ingus Bankevics added five points.

Downing ensured that United carried a slim 73-71 lead into the fourth quarter, but Giants dominated much of the closing stages and looked to have it won as they held their hosts scoreless for nearly five minutes and David Watts hit a three-pointer in a 9-0 burst.

Bankevics made two more three-pointers – he was five out of seven on his way to 19 points on the night – and Giants led 89-80 with two minutes to play.

But they would not score again, as Downing hit four quick points and United scored all of the last 10. Coleman got them back to 88-89 inside the final minute, before Downing scored the winning basket under pressure with 17 seconds to play.

That left Gill with one last chance but he missed.