Saigon Heat take a lead in the Vba Finals 2024. Photo courtesy of VBA

HCM CITY - In a best-of-five finals series, the Saigon Heat scored an impressive victory against the Cần Thơ Catfish, taking a 1-0 lead at the VBA Finals 2024.

The first game was held on Tuesday (Sept 24), at CIS Gymnasium, District 7, HCM City

Many Heat fans were worried that the four core players of Nguyễn Huỳh Phú Vinh, Võ Kim Bản, Jevonnie Scott and Elijah Weaver would be affected physically due to their recent tournament in Japan (Playoffs of the 3x3.EXE Premier 2024 tournament) last weekend.

However, these players shattered all doubts with great performances in the first quarter.

All but one of the 12 shots in the first quarter that came from Weaver, Scott and Phú Vinh, including four three-pointers, were successful.

The Heat maintained their play in the second quarter as the home team had 54 points after the first 20 minutes.

Dư Minh An also joined in with eight points, helping the Heat overwhelm the Catfish with a score of 54-35 at halftime.

After the break, coach Lê Trần Minh Nghĩa and his team tightened their defense and only allowed the Heat to score five points in the first seven minutes of the third quarter.

At the same time, their counterattacks helped the Catfish score 14 points, narrowing the score to 59-51.

However, three-pointers from Võ Kim Bản helped bring the Heat's lead back to 19 points (79-60) at the end of the third quarter.

The Catfish tried their best to rise again, narrowing the gap to ten points with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter. But this was the last effort of captain Đinh Thanh Tâm and his teammates because the Heat were too far ahead.

Coach David Grice's team made 17 three-point shots, led by Phú Vinh with six. 

Game 1 ended with a 98-89 victory for Saigon Heat, helping the defending champion take a 1-0 lead in the 2024 VBA Finals.

Scott was MVP of the game with 30 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Weaver scored 23 points with eight rebounds and eight assists. Phú Vinh also scored 20 points with 16 rebounds and two blocks.

“We had a great performance tonight. My teammates made a lot of threes. Not only scoring, but everyone contributed to the defense. Also, I really appreciate the presence and support of the fans. I really love the fans who support the Heat,” Scott said.

Game two will be held on Thursday (Sept 26) at Nguyễn Du Gymnasium, District 1, HCM City.

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