Saigon Heat came back from their defeat last week to beat Danang Dragons 79-64 in Game 41 of the Viet Nam Basketball Association (VBA) league on Tuesday.

Darius Lewis of Saigon Heat (right) tries to prevent Danang Dragons’ Tran Dang Khoa from attacking during their VBA match on Tuesday. — Photo courtesy of VBA

Despite playing on away ground, the Heat shocked the former champions, scoring 15 points in a row to lead 15-0 after only six minutes of the first quarter. Among the scorers, Nguyễn Huỳnh Hải netted nine points.

The team stayed ahead throughout the first quarter, which ended 20-11.

In the second quarter, the Dragons tried hard but could not find a way to level the score, with the Heat increasing the gap to 40-27.

Hải had a perfect day, scoring another nine points in the third quarter. He was a key player, helping the Heat set up a safe result of 61-38 against the Dragons, who tried to created more attacks but failed to narrow the score.

The Heat played comfortably in rest time, winning the match 79-64.

"Big man" Darius Lewis of the Heat made the Dragons’ defenders work very hard to prevent him from throwing. However the American still had 25 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks.

He was awarded MVP of the game for his outstanding performance.

For the host team, all the players played below par. The highlight for the team was captain Horace Nguyễn’s performance, who scored 21 points and five rebounds. However, it was not enough to lift his team.

The win maintained the Heat’s hope of regaining top position from Thang Long Warriors, who are their next rivals on home turf in the last qualification round this Sunday.

The Dragons will play their last qualifying match against Hanoi Buffaloes at the Bách Khoa Gymnasium in Hà Nội on Saturday. It will also be their last game as they failed to bag a slot in the play-off round.

In Game 42, Cantho Catfish’s strong attack helped them beat HCM City Wings 99-63.

Tâm Đinh’s return to action was a big boost for the Catfish, who created a huge gap of 19 points in the first quarter, which saw a 35-16 result.

Đinh Sang was another player to watch on the Catfish side. He netted 10 points early in the second quarter. His team maintained their lead of 52-35 against the Wings, and continued to be on top with a score of 74-48 in the next quarter, which saw Catfish’s young substitute players on the field.

It was a significant gap to overcome for the Wings, who seemed resigned to their loss. Their coach Ricky Magallanes then decided to test his young players in the last quarter. The youngsters, however, did not play their best and ended the game at 63-99.

The Wings will play their last match of the season at home against Thang Long Warriors on Thursday. — VNS