VBA 2024: Hanoi Buffaloes back in contention

Hasan Thomas (white shirt) with 20 points and 15 rebounds helps the Buffaloes back in contention. Photo courtesy of VBA

HCM CITY — After three consecutive losses a week ago, the Hanoi Buffaloes have shown signs of bouncing back with two consecutive wins in the last three days against the Saigon Heat and the Đà Nẵng Dragons.

The Buffaloes started the game impressively and took an early lead thanks to the excellent performance of the duo of Devin Peterson and Hassan Thomas.

In addition, Đinh Tiến Công and Tiến Dương at the three-point line were a deadly weapon that the Buffaloes brought to the game.

These local players scored crucial points, and contributed on defense.

On the other side, the Dragons had difficulty scoring when their long-range shots were off. Max Allen also had a tough night when he had to face the Buffaloes’ new player Ruot Monyyong inside the paint.

The score was 42-29 for the Buffaloes before the break.

In the first three minutes of the third quarter, the Dragons heated up the atmosphere at Hồ Xuân Hương Gymnasium with three consecutive three pointers to narrow the lead to only 42-40.

Young player Dương Đức Trí kept the home team’s hope alive.

However, with two unexpected three-pointers from Jimmy Nguyen, the away team restored a double-digit lead of 60-49.

In the final quarter, the Dragons continuously put pressure through counterattacks. Despite pushing the pace and causing countless difficulties for the opponent, the Dragons attack gradually became predictable as only Huỳnh Trực Nhân was able to put the ball in the basket.

On the contrary, the core players of the Buffaloes worked effectively.

The Dragons had to watch their opponent finish with a convincing 78-69 victory.

Thomas, who was effective on both ends of the basket, was named Player of the Game with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

“The Đà Nang Dragons are a very young team. They played hard tonight and we had a great game. The team has played seven away games in just a few weeks. We will have a lot of days off. We will recover and be in the best shape for the home games in Hà Nội,” said Thomas. — VNS