Defending champion Saigon Heat shows strength

In the last 5 encounters in VBA, Hanoi Buffaloes Club has never won against Saigon Heat and the 6th meeting between the two teams also brought the same result.

In a rematch of last year's VBA final, Hanoi Buffaloes took a 7-6 lead but the three-time VBA champion quickly reasserted his dominance. Vo Kim Ban sparked an incredible scoring streak. The "shooter" who holds the VBA record for 3-pointers made 3 consecutive accurate shots from the outside to bring the team nicknamed "Mr. 30" up to 9 points.

Foreign player Kentrell Barkley (white shirt) fought hard for Saigon Heat in the victory over Hanoi Buffaloes.

In addition, sharp counterattacks by foreign player Kentrell Barkley helped Saigon Heat create a gap of up to 16 points against Hanoi Buffaloes (23-7). 7 valuable points from Nguyen Huy Hoang, the player who came off the bench, could not help the defending runner-up team create a breakthrough because the gap created by Saigon Heat after 3 rounds was already 20 points.

Russell Smith's scoring in the fourth quarter couldn't help Hanoi Buffaloes make a difference against Saigon Heat.

In the fourth and final quarter, captain Dinh Thanh Tam and foreign player Russell Smith shined, helping the team nicknamed "Capital Buffaloes" have an impressive scoring streak that forced coach Matt Van Pelt (Saigon Heat) to consult to adjust the defense.

Coach Matt Van Pelt made timely adjustments to help Saigon Heat defend victory in the opening match of VBA 2023

Timely adjustments helped the defending champion Saigon Heat maintain their lead before winning 85-71. Saigon Heat’s No. 1 shooter, foreign player Kentrell Barkley, made history as the 8th player to achieve a “triple-double” (having 3/5 key stats of 10 or more) with 28 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. With this impressive achievement, this foreign player received the title of Most Outstanding Player of the Match.

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