Xuân Đăng

HÀ NỘI — The Saigon Heat made a strong statement in the VBA Finals, defeating the reigning champions Hanoi Buffaloes 88–82 in Game 1 at Xuân Đỉnh Gymnasium on Saturday (September 19) despite having lost all four regular-season meetings between the two sides.

The result gave the Heat an important advantage at the start of the best-of-five Finals series, while also ended the Buffaloes' unbeaten home record in this year's playoffs.

For the opening game of the Finals series, the hosts fielded an optimal starting line-up featuring three foreign players alongside Nguyễn Huy Hoàng and Đặng Thái Hưng.

The visitors, meanwhile, started with key Vietnamese players Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh, Tim Waale and Nguyễn Anh Kiệt, together with foreign stars Brandis Raley-Ross and Jamal Mayal.

In the first quarter, Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh quickly made his presence felt at key moments to help the visitors take an early lead. The hosts responded through their main scorers to stay within touching distance.

Quick reactions and valuable contributions from the bench then helped the Buffaloes edge ahead 19–17 at the end of the opening quarter.

The Hanoi side continued to enjoy a slight advantage in the second quarter, maintaining a lead of around five points with Lian Ramiro and Trần Phi Hoàng Long making important contributions.

For the Heat, Nyang Wek's impressive rebounding at both sides of the court provided a boost to their offence. The visitors stayed close in a closely fought contest, trailing 40–38 at half-time.

The third quarter proved decisive as the Heat suddenly stepped up their intensity.

Their starting players like Anh Kiệt and Tim Waale took turns scoring as the visitors from HCM City put together a 13–0 scoring run. AJ Bramah responded immediately with eight points, producing a strong spell to help the Buffaloes reduce the deficit.

However, his efforts were countered by the Heat's dominance on the boards. Controlling the paint at both ends of the court, the visitors established a 15-point advantage at 68–53 heading into the final quarter.

The Buffaloes refused to give up and launched a determined comeback in the fourth quarter. Attacks around the basket combined with long-range shooting cut the deficit to just five points.

With only seconds remaining, the hosts repeatedly committed fouls in an attempt to stop the clock. However, the experience of the former VBA champions proved decisive as the Buffaloes suffered their first home defeat of the season, going down 88–82.

The Buffaloes struggled to find consistent scoring options as their import players were closely guarded throughout the game. The Heat, meanwhile, benefited from a more balanced attack, with different players taking turns to make important contributions. Their ability to share the scoring burden and control the rebounds proved crucial in securing a valuable away win before the next two games of the best-of-five Finals are played on their home court.

Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh was named Player of the Game after finishing with 22 points, 14 rebounds and one assist.

“Before the game, the coach encouraged the whole team to give everything on court. We also did a good job of containing AJ Bramah, the hosts' main threat. We will maintain this focus in the next two home games,” Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh said.

The Heat remained level with the reigning champions for much of the first half before accelerating in the third quarter and converting their advantage into a convincing victory.

Alongside key performances from Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh and Brandis Raley-Ross, Nyang Wek played a major role in the Heat's success with 10 points and 19 rebounds, including 12 offensive rebounds.

For the Buffaloes, AJ Bramah led the scoring with 28 points.

All VBA matches will be broadcast live on FPT Play, the league's exclusive production and broadcasting partner under a five-season agreement running from 2026 to 2030. — VNS