Kentrell Barkley of Saigon Heat is still unstoppable with 37 points, 26 rebounds and 7 assists in the match against Nha Trang Dolphins. Photo courtesy of VBA

HÀ NỘI — Defending champions Saigon Heat confirmed their dominance with a four-match winning streak in VBA 2023 after a victory over the Nha Trang Dolphins.

The match on Thursday at Cầu Giấy Gymnasium defied expectations when the defending champions won with a score of 85-79.

Last season, the Nha Trang Dolphins were the only team that beat Saigon Heat in home and away games.

This year, the Dolphins began the game without Dominique Tham due to injury. 

Without the imposing Tham, the Dolphins' players could not defend in the restricted area when they had to face the trio of Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh, Hassan Thomas and Kentrell Barkley.

The match between the top two teams was tense from the opening minutes. 

However, neither team scored more than 20 points after 15 minutes of play. 

In the last five minutes before the break, Võ Kim Bản of Saigon Heat made 3pts shots to increase the gap to 11 points.

The first half ended with a score of 27-38. 

After the break, coach Predrag Lukic of the Dolphins made a change to playing style to zone defend which helped the team to narrow the gap.

However, Kentrell Barkley remained unstoppable as he repeatedly broke through the Dolphins' defence and created plenty of space for Heat's shooters to hit three-pointers to increase their lead again.

With just over a minute left, Saigon Heat took a 17-point lead, and both coaches put their starting lineups on the bench and gave the young players a chance to play.

Saigon Heat now has four wins in a row and secured the first place in the standings. VNS