Saigon Heat entered the reception of Nha Trang Dolphins after two consecutive defeats against the defending champion. Meanwhile, the coastal city representative is in high form with a three-match winning streak.
Coach Vu The Cang made a remarkable adjustment when putting Jalon Andrews in the starting lineup to strengthen the defense of the area under the basket. This decision quickly became effective when Saigon Heat significantly limited the influence of center forward Chris Bryant and two Mongolian players on the visiting team's side.
Thanks to a tight defense system, Saigon Heat started favorably and closed the first half with a 17-15 lead.
In the second half, the home team continued to control the game but could not create a gap due to the lack of sharp counter-attacks. Meanwhile, Chris Bryant still maintained his ability to compete and score effectively in the close-range area, and the shooters on Nha Trang Dolphins' side also continuously scored points from outside the 3-point line to bring the match back to a balanced 35-35 before the break.
A turning point appeared in the third quarter when Saigon Heat's defense continued to lock down Chris Bryant. On the attacking front, Nguyen Anh Kiet continuously scored points, helping the home team create a gap of up to 11 points.
Coach Todd Purves then adjusted tactics, increased ball circulation speed and exploited finishing ability from the outside line. These changes helped Nha Trang Dolphins narrow the gap to 56-59 before entering the decisive quarter.
In the fourth round, Jamal Mayali and Nguyen Anh Kiet continued to maintain a stable scoring performance to re-establish a double-digit gap for Saigon Heat. Although Cleveland Jackson tried to help the away team chase, Nha Trang Dolphins still could not reverse the situation and accepted defeat with a score of 71-86.
Nguyen Anh Kiet became the most outstanding player of the match when he scored 22 points, caught 13 rebounds and achieved a 3-point shooting efficiency of 75% (3/4), thereby being awarded the Player of the Game title.
Sharing after the match, Nguyen Anh Kiet said: "I am very happy that the team won, because that is always the top priority. The previous two defeats were motivation for me to try to practice harder. I hope this victory will help the whole team continue to maintain the spirit of solidarity. I also thank the fans who came to the stadium to cheer for Saigon Heat".
In addition to Nguyen Anh Kiet's impressive performance, Saigon Heat's victory also had a great contribution from Jalon Andrews with 16 points and an important defensive role and Jamal Mayali with 20 points.
After this result, the rankings of the two teams remained unchanged. Saigon Heat ranked second in the rankings with a record of 6 wins and 3 losses, while Nha Trang Dolphins ranked fourth with 4 wins and 5 losses.
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