Saigon Heat beat the Đà Nẵng Dragons in overtime. Photo courtesy of VBA.

By Xuân Đăng

HCM CITY - The defending champion Saigon Heat faced numerous challenges from the determination of the Danang Dragons on Sunday. The game went to overtime, with the Heat beating the “Hàn River Dragons” with a result of 88-84.

The Dragons as a whole and Max Allen II as an individual had an excellent game. Unfortunately, their depth was not enough to defeat the Heat in a thrilling overtime.

Allen had his best game since the beginning of the season.

He was injured in the fourth quarter but still played through the pain until the end, ending the game with 43 points (19 of 33 FG).

Unfortunately, Allen's efforts, along with Marquis Davison's 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, were not enough on a day when the Heat got hot at the right time, especially with the brilliance of leader Elijah Weaver.

At crunch time, Weaver shone. He controlled the ball, coordinated, and then dished out assists for his teammates to score.

Weaver continued to use this formula for almost the entire overtime and brought positive results for the Heat.

Meanwhile, all of the visitors' attacks relied heavily on Max Allen, causing the Dragons' counterattacks to be shut down by the Heat's double teaming defense.

Weaver was once again named the Player of the Game with 22 points, ten rebounds, four assists in 45 minutes of play.

“This is the first time we have had to play in overtime. I think this is a good test for the whole team. Everyone had a good performance. In the near future, we will try to recover as quickly as possible and prepare for the match against the Cantho Catfish - a team that is putting pressure on our top position,” Weaver shared.

In this game, the Heat's shooters completely outperformed the Dragons as the hosts made 11 threes, more than double that of the guests.

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