HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s Saigon Heat defeated Westports Malaysia Dragons 114-81 at the ASEAN Basketball League held at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

The Heat’s 33-point win is the franchise’s biggest win against Malaysia.

The Dragons took the lead in the first few minutes of the first quarter, with Joshua Munzon scoring 10 points. The Dragons led 20-13 after nearly seven minutes. However, the Heat fought back strongly during the last three minutes to win 28-20.

In the second half, the Heat made their fans jump with joy with the three-point shots of Horace Nguyễn, Maxie Esho, Akeem Scott and Moses Morgan. They finished the quarter with a score of 64-36.

Despite their efforts of narrowing the gap, the Dragons couldn’t break the firm defence line of the Heat, and the hosts lost to the visitors 56-87 in the third quarter.

Coach Kyle Julius of the Heat used domestic players in the last quarter, including Tô Quang Trung, Nguyễn Huỳnh Hải and Lê Ngọc Tú, and they did not disappoint him. They played outstandingly to help the Heat win 114-81.

Four foreign players of the Heat scored more than 20 points each. Morgan scored 26 points; Esho, 25 points; Scott, 24 points; and Michael Williams, 21 points.

The Heat now rank sixth out of nine teams in the rankings. The Dragons have fallen to the eighth place.

The Heat will next face Mono Vampire on February 14 in Bangkok, Thailand. — VNS