Professional basketball tournament VBA: Saigon Heat narrowly win over Cantho Catfish

In the last VBA qualifying match between Saigon Heat and Cantho Catfish taking place in Ho Chi Minh City on July 17, Saigon Heat had a hard-fought win with a narrow score of 70-68 against Cantho Catfish, thereby reducing the head-to-head score between the two teams to 1-2. Saigon Heat have had a tough season so far; therefore, this win helped the eventual champions save face after a streak of losses.

Saigon Heat won the most recent 5 VBA seasons (from 2019 - 2024), which proves the superiority of this team. However, in the 10th season, Saigon Heat are showing a poor form with consecutive shocking losses to lower rated teams such as Cantho Catfish, Ho Chi Minh City Wing, Nha Trang Dolphins, and Danang Dragons.

Ahead of their third matchup with Cantho Catfish in the qualifying round, Saigon Heat had conceded defeat twice with scores of 90-98 and 77-75 respectively. They entered the third encounter on July 17 with a high determination to turn the tide a secured a narrow 70-68 win against Cantho Catfish. Saigon Heat's coach, David Grice, demonstrated excellent strategic awareness with a two-layer defense, centered around key center Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh. This strategy effectively limited attacks from spearhead 2.03m-tall Malek Green of Cantho Catfish's. For the majority of regulation play (three quarters), Saigon Heat maintained a lead through their effective defense and counter-attacks, even leading 22 points at one stage.

However, in the latter half of the fourth quarter, Saigon Heat players unexpectedly lost momentum. Guards Davon Dillard, Du Minh An, and Huynh Truc Nhan displayed a lack of focus, allowing Cantho Catfish to narrow the gap. Fortunately for Saigon Heat, while his teammates faltered under pressure, Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh performed excellently, carrying the reigning champions to the final win.

At the end of the match, Saigon Heat’s center Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh won the Player of the Game title with 19 points, 11 rebounds and a 60% 3-point shooting efficiency. After this matchup, the positions of Saigon Heat and Cantho Catfish in the rankings remain the same. Saigon Heat (7 wins, 5 losses) are placed 3rd; Cantho Catfish (7 wins, 3 losses) are staying at 2nd. Hanoi Buffaloes have had the best record with 9 wins and are temporarily leading the rankings.

AN NHIEN
Translated by H.N