Hà Nội Buffaloes won against Hochiminh City Wings. — Photo courtesy of VBA

HÀ NỘI — After the Saigon Heat secured the first ticket to the semi-finals, the Hochiminh City Wings needed a win against the Hanoi Buffaloes to keep their hopes of extending their season.

To achieve this goal, Coach Lee Tao Dana of the City Wing brought 18-year-old Tim De Kok back to the starting five. On the other side, Coach Erik Rashad kept the same squad that had just defeated the City Wings three days ago. 

In the first quarter, the City Wings moved the ball and looked for opportunities at the three-point line. On the other side, the home team was focused on Hassan Thomas, but he took a long time to find his first point.

Benefiting from five three-pointers, most of which came from captain Khoa Trần, the guests raised the lead to 24-15.

In the second quarter, coach Erik Rashad used many players from the bench to bring new energy to the game.

Nguyễn Huy Hoàng, Jimmy Nguyễn and Tô Ngọc Khánh were sent on to the court and they brought energetic plays that helped the home team shorten the lead to four points.

However, Shon Briggs’ solid scoring in the paint helped the guests secure the advantage, with the City Wings leading 42-35 before the break.

In the third quarter, in the first two minutes, Khoa Trần’s great performance helped the City Wings raise the lead to 12 points. However, in the following minutes, the effectiveness of the guests gradually decreased.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the trio of Devin Peterson, Ruot Monyyong and Hassan Thomas continuously scored. In the seventh minute, the Buffaloes took the lead for the first time at 56-55.

From here, the two teams played neck to neck. Then Jimmy Nguyễn played outstanding at the three-point line to help the guests lead at 74-67. 

In the final quarter, the connection between Peterson and Monyyong helped the Buffaloes take a 13-point lead at 80-67.

In addition, the home team continuously received the brilliance of local players such as Tiến Dương, Ngọc Khánh and Tiến Công. With diverse scoring sources, the Buffaloes ended the game with the final score of 96-83. — VNS