The Viet Nam Basketball Association League rankings remained unchanged after two matches of the leading teams on Saturday.

Hanoi Buffaloes’ Nguyen Phu Hoang tries to steal a ball from Nguyen Huynh Hai of Saigon Heat during their VBA match on Saturday in Hanoi.

No 1 Thang Long Warriors suffered a loss after three wins in a row, losing 87-90 to Cantho Catfish on their home turf of Hanoi National University of Education’s Gymnasium.

The second-placed Saigon Heat were defeated 64-72 by Hanoi Buffaloes, although they had the advantage of playing on the homeground and supporters at the Canadian International School (CIS) Arena in HCM City.

The Buffaloes lost to the Heat in their two meets previously this season. They came to the CIS Arena for revenge, and they did a good job.

The Heat displayed better performance in the first two quarters, winning 20-14 and 33-28, respectively.

Things changed in the next two quarters when the Buffaloes’ super substitute Nguyen Phu Hoang was put on the field. Together with his twin brother Nguyen Thanh Dat, they helped the team come from behind to win 48-47 in the third and increased the gap before winning 72-64.

The result of the match did not change the Heat’s second place and the Buffaloes’ fourth position.

The Buffaloes will next meet the Catfish on October 17, while the Heat will see defending champions Danang Dragons five days later.

In Hanoi, the Catfish strengthened their third position after their win over the Warriors.

Despite playing on away ground, the Catfish took the lead from the beginning until the end.

Their players Le Hieu Thanh and Sang Dinh collected the points in the first quarter. While Sang Dinh was tightly supervised in the next quarters, it was Thanh and De Angelo Hamilton who kept scoring.

The fourth quarter saw the Warriors’ fight back, as they narrowed the result to 87-88 when there were only 39 seconds left

The Catfish created a counter-attack. MVP of the game Hamilton sent the ball to Sang Đinh, who scored the final two points for the visitors at 90-87.

The Warriors will next play the Buffaloes on October 22. 

VNS