Mike Okauru is working double time to get back on court after admitting he was ‘stung’ watching his team-mates go down to Caledonia Gladiators on Friday.

Shorthanded Newcastle Eagles face London Lions this afternoon desperate to build momentum and confidence heading into Tuesday’s Euro showdown in Denmark.

But without both Okauru and big man Malcolm Delpeche, a difficult stage of the season just got a whole lot tougher for the 2025 Trophy winners.

“This team’s made a habit of bouncing back all season,” said Okauru, who leads the Super League Basketball Championship in scoring this season. “I always have faith in my guys.

“I believe if we come out strong against Lions and stick to our game plan, we always have a chance to win.

“We just have to be ready, get our game plan from coach and go out there focused.”

Okauru missed a potentially damaging 83-67 homecourt defeat at the hands of basement strugglers Gladiators after turning his ankle the previous weekend.

And neither the player nor the club has given any indication of a return date following scans last week.

Okauru cut a frustrated figure on the Newcastle bench as he was powerless to prevent a battling Caledonia roster from pulling off the perfect smash and grab raid.

And he added: “It hurts watching from the sidelines. I always want to be out there with my guys trying to help. We lost a tough game against Gladiators and it stings. I wish I could have been out there to help.

“I know everyone has been affected by me and Malcolm going down. But as a group we need to find ways to come together and get these wins. It’s going to take time.”

Okauru is the only player in the SLB averaging more than 20 points this season and the talented US star would be a huge loss to any roster.

One of the most fouled guards in the country has converted more baskets than any of his rivals and only Sheffield’s Jacob Groves boasts a better three-point shooting percentage.

Okauru’s accuracy from beyond the arc was sorely missed on Friday as Newcastle shot just seven of 22 triples.

But he insisted: “I’m trying to get fit again as fast as I can. I need to be careful I don’t make things worse and, at the moment, it’s just about taking things day by day.

“I’m trying to get there sooner rather than later because it’s a bad time of the season for this to happen.

“I am getting better. But it’s not clear when I’ll be back.”

Okauru revealed he first hurt his ankle in Bristol on the same night Delpeche was stretchered off court with a serious knee injury.

Less than 48 hours later he fell awkwardly on the same ankle in Manchester — a painful knock that forced him to miss the final 16 minutes of a narrow defeat.

“It happened in back-to-back games and, looking back, playing on Sunday made it worse,” he added. “It was a tough weekend.”

Newcastle never looked anywhere near their best against Jonny Bunyan’s Scots and head coach Marc Steutel requires a rapid response at league leaders London.

Delpeche was a big miss against Gladiators under the offensive glass and with Lions’ Ovi Soko returning from a three-game suspension this afternoon — following a tussle with former Eagles favourite Duke Shelton — that’s just one area the Eagles need to work on.

Elsewhere the visitors must improve on Friday’s 37 per cent conversion rate from the field and focus on converting more of the good looks point guard Trey Pulliam continues to engineer.

Newcastle’s point guard added seven assists to his Eagles-high 14 points against Caledonia as the SLB rookie finds his feet following a mid-season move from Cyprus.

But Pulliam’s MVP award meant very little to the competitive playmaker as Gladiators compounded what was a tough week for the men in black.

This afternoon’s action tips off at 2pm with the action screened live and for free on DAZN.