The qualifying round of Vietnam’s professional basketball tournament, VBA Star X-2025, is in the final stage to decide 4 semi-finalists. Currently, Hanoi Buffaloes are showing a good form with 2 consecutive wins against defending champions Saigon Heat, thereby increasing their winning streak to 13 matches and winning the first ticket to the play-off round (semi-finals for the top 4 teams).
In August 1 and 3, Vietnamese professional basketball supporters witnessed two consecutive defeats of defending champions Saigon Heat against Hanoi Buffaloes. Before their clashes, Hanoi Buffaloes had had outstanding performances with 11 consecutive wins and had been leading the rankings. Meanwhile, Saigon Heat, although displaying erratic performances since the beginning of the season, is the only team that hadn’t lost to Hanoi Buffaloes. Not to mention, Saigon Heat always won against Hanoi Buffaloes in previous seasons.
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| Hanoi Buffaloes (left) win two consecutive matches against Saigon Heat (right) |
In their first match taking place on August 1, both Hanoi Buffaloes and Saigon Heat fielded their strongest lineups. The match was dramatic and tense in term of fitness and strategy of players and coaches of both teams. With an excellent performance of attacker DaQuan Bracey at the end of the match, Hanoi Buffaloes won the match with a narrow score of 89-87. This win helps Hanoi Buffaloes extend their unbeaten streak to 12 matches and also become the first team to progress to the play-off round. Although conceding defeat, Saigon Heat displayed quite well, especially in defense. However, this loss makes it difficult for Saigon Heat in the race to the play-off round with only 8 wins and 6 losses and fourth place on the rankings.
In their rematch on August 3, Hanoi Buffaloes, riding high on their playoff qualification, continued to display high performance and won convincingly with a score of 80-71 against Saigon Heat. This marks Hanoi Buffaloes’ second straight win against Saigon Heat, extending their unbeaten streak to 13 and keeping them firmly at the top of the rankings. As for Saigon Heat, their loss saw them fall from fourth place to fifth, now sitting behind Danang Dragons, Nha Trang Dolphins and Cantho Catfish.
The qualifying round of VBA Star X-2025 (taking place from May 16 to August 31) has only 16 matches left out of a total of 63 matches. The battle for the remaining 3 tickets to the play-off round is expected to be a fierce one among Saigon Heat, Cantho Catfish, Nha Trang Dolphins, and Danang Dragons.
AN NHIEN
Translated by H.N
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