The Heat swept the Warriors to reach the final for the fourth time in a row. Photo courtesy of VBA

HCM CITY - The Thang Long Warriors could not make a comeback in the second game of their semi-finals against Saigon Heat, and the Heat advanced to the finals.

The match was held at CIS Gymnasium, District 7, HCM City on Monday.

At the start of the match, both teams played very good defence, so after five minutes of the first quarter, only 10 points were scored from both teams.

The Warriors' shooters tried to make an impact from outside the three-point line, but were unsuccessful.

In the last minute of the first quarter, things became more difficult for the guests when big man John Fields had a thigh injury after contact with Kentrell Barkley of the Heat and had to leave the court for the rest of the game.

Without their main scorer and missing all 10 three-point shots, the Warriors trailed 19-12.

The Saigon Heat's starting lineup of Kentrell Barkley, Hassan Thomas, Dư Minh An, Võ Kim Bản and Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh had an impressive performance in this match.

Playing with a lineup without a centre, the guests' defence also became weaker, as space opened up for the home team's players to score consecutive points.

Only Sameen Swint's precise mid-range shooting kept a thin hope for the Warriors before the break.

The score was 40-26 in favour of the home team before the break.

After halftime, the home team's players continued to take advantage of opportunities to increase the lead.

While Heat players such as Võ Kim Bản, Dư Minh An and Hoàng Tú knew how to punish the away team's defence with accurate three-point shots, the Warriors' shooters suffered from an extremely poor performance, even worse than the previous match when they only succeeded on one three-pointer out of 27 three-point shots in the entire match.

The Heat took a lead of 20 points (68-48) after the third quarter.

In the first three minutes of the last quarter, the Heat extended their lead to 30 points, 80-50.

With victory at hand, Heat coach Matt Van Pelt gave his B squad experience to play in the playoffs.

Đặng Thái Hưng of the Warriors tried his best to reduce the lead. However, there was not enough time for him to make a miracle.

In the end, the Thang Long Warriors were helpless against the Saigon Heat with a 97-76 loss.

Kentrell Barkley was voted Player of the Game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Hassan Thomas regained his scoring form with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.

Dư Minh An and Võ Kim Bản, two local players of the home team, scored more than 10 points.

All the Heat players in this match scored points, including young players such as Nguyễn Phan Hồng Phúc, Nguyễn Hoàng Minh Tuấn and Võ Duy Linh.

The Heat clinched a final appearance for the fourth time in a row, and continue their journey to defend their championship. VNS