Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh rises for a confident lay-up against Ho Chi Minh City Wings during Saigon Heat’s home victory at the CIS Arena. Photo courtesy of VBA

HCM CITY — Saigon Heat created positive momentum heading into the final stretch of the VBA regular season with a confident 80-72 victory over the Ho Chi Minh City Wings at the CIS Arena on Saturday (July 19).

The defending champions demonstrated their depth and defensive discipline in their last regular-season meeting with the City Wings, a team they had split wins with earlier in the campaign.

Starting strong, the hosts relied on the defensive pairing of Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh and Tim Waale to protect the paint while their perimeter shooters found early rhythm from three-point range.

In contrast, the visitors struggled to find cohesion, with their top scorer Yevgen Sakhniuk forced into drawing fouls for points and limited offensive support from the wings. The Heat led 25-13 after the first quarter.

The Heat's rotation paid off in the second quarter, as bench players such as Huỳnh Trực Nhân and Nguyễn Anh Kiệt helped maintain the tempo and scoring load. The Wings, meanwhile, leaned heavily on their starters without finding effective adjustments, falling further behind 26-43 at half-time.

The home team’s defence tightened in the third period, cutting off passing lanes to isolate Sakhniuk and neutralising offensive threats from the City Wings. Two surprise three-pointers from the Ukrainian centre briefly energised the visitors, but the gap remained at 16 points heading into the final quarter.

A spirited comeback led by Khoa Trần and Dakota Zinser narrowed the margin to just seven points midway through the fourth quarter. However, the Wings’ offensive momentum faltered due to fatigue and limited bench production, allowing Saigon Heat to close out the win without significant trouble.

Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh earned his second consecutive Player of the Game award with a well-rounded performance: 12 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks.

“I’m very happy with tonight’s win, especially after losing to the Wings by over 20 points just last week,” said Phú Vinh.

“With support from Tim [Waale] and Alfred [Hollins], we were able to shut down Sakhniuk inside. Our goal now is to stay focused and reduce turnovers in the coming games.”

The result saw Saigon Heat claim the season series 2-1 against their cross-city rivals, further solidifying their position in the play-off race. While their core unit anchored the game, bench contributions on both ends of the court proved decisive for the team.

Saigon Heat improved to third on the standings with an 8-5 record, while Ho Chi Minh City Wings remained at the bottom with just one win in 12 games. The defending champions now look to carry their momentum through their remaining five regular-season fixtures. — VNS