Jevonnie Scott made a powerful dunk in front of the Catfish's defenders. Photo courtesy of VBA

By Xuân Đăng

HCM CITY - The match between the Saigon Heat and the Cần Thơ Catfish always attracts the attention of many Vietnamese basketball fans because the Catfish used to be the leading team of the league before the Heat became an unstoppable team in the VBA for over five years.

However, the Catfish's squad can not compare to the Heat at this moment as the Heat outplayed the home team in their second match at Hồ Xuân Hương Gymnasium on Tuesday (June 25).

In the opening quarter, the Heat's shooters took turns trying their hand at the three-point line, while the Catfish focused their attack in the paint.

The Heat was the team that took the lead thanks to the impressive performance of point guard Elijah Weaver, and the away team ended the first half with a 15-point lead of 29-14.

In the second quarter, the guests continued to increase the lead.

In the sixth minute, coach Lê Trần Minh Nghĩa and his team lost their big man when Yevgen Sakhniuk was injured and had to leave the court.

Without the center, the green team stayed behind by 30-45.

After the injury, the Catfish tried their best to make a comeback but that scenario could not happen. 

The home team had to accept a defeat of 62-83. This is their second lost after two game. 

Jevonnie Scott, who brought stable scoring to the Heat, was the Player of the Game with 23 points, 10 rebounds and a 100% three-point shooting rate (4/4).

“I am very happy to win the first MVP title. Today's victory is the result of the whole team. We prepared and followed the strategy. The Heat always respects all opponents. Other teams have their own strengths, the competition this season is also very high, so we always have to focus,” Jevonnie Scott shared. VNS