Game 1 saw both teams struggling to get going due to the absence of key players. Hanoi Buffaloes struggled to develop the ball without Devin Peterson.
On the other hand, without Yevgen Sakhniuk, Cantho Catfish players also appeared to be stuck in attack.
In the first minutes, Cantho Catfish started slowly because they gave many chances to their shooters. However, thanks to the brilliance of Le Khac Dang Khoa, the Western team caught up with the visitors 16-18.
In game 2, Cantho Catfish took the lead by 5 points, 25-20. To catch up, coach Erik Rashad brought in quality reserves like Jimmy Nguyen and 1.98m tall player Pham Duc Kien.
In the 7th minute, after many efforts, plus 2 3-pointers from Nguyen Tien Duong, Hanoi Buffaloes rose to 37-35. Although they were behind, before the end of the match, Dakota Zinser managed to shine and tie the score for Cantho Catfish 43-43.
Returning after the break, Le Khac Dang Khoa continued to be the bright spot for Cantho Catfish, helping his team create an 8-point gap of 55-47. Immediately after, Nguyen Tien Duong repeated his brilliance from the previous half with 2 3-pointers. The timely support of this veteran and then Hassan Thomas helped Hanoi Buffaloes regain the lead 65-59.
In the deciding round, Cantho Catfish tightened their defense and looked for counterattack opportunities to tie the score. In the 5th minute, after 2 free throws by Tam Dinh, Cantho Catfish leveled the score 74-74.
At this time, the two stars of Hanoi Buffaloes, Ruot Monyyong and Hassan Thomas, played explosively to help Hanoi Buffaloes win the final score of 89-82.
With this result, the positions of the two teams on the rankings remain unchanged. Hanoi Buffaloes (12 wins, 5 losses) is in 2nd place, while Cantho Catfish (10 wins, 7 losses) is in 3rd place.
