Behind the two peak "clutch" phases of Saigon Heat: Calling Holder, Hassan and Phu Vinh

The score is now 68-67 and the game time is nearly 40 seconds, Saigon Heat is 1 point ahead of Singapore Slingers. This is also the difference that the Heat lost to the Slingers when the two teams met a month ago in Singapore.

Once again facing this gap, "Mr 30" is ready to do everything so that the match does not end with the old script.Instead of a complicated run, coach Matt Van Pelt decided to put his faith in it. Jairus Holder, the number 1 star of Saigon Heat in two matches after the Lunar New Year.

Holder chose Delvin Goh as his target, demanding a screen from Jeremy Combs to get the match-up he wanted. From here, the "bearded god" version of Saigon Heat started working.

Like Harden during his time at the Houston Rockets with an uncomfortable left hand, Jairus Holder swayed past Delvin Goh. He attracted the attention of seasoned foreigner Xavier Alexander, then found a single red shirt shadow running into the area under the basket.

It was Hassan Thomas, who followed Jairus' advice and kept running in similar situations throughout the 4th half. He didn't always have the ball to finish, but then Hassan was rewarded in the right situation. The most important situation in the match.

In the immediate future, it was only the internal soldiers who did not have a good shape of the opponent, the Vietnamese-born player jumped high and successfully hit the basket with one hand, giving Saigon Heat the lead.

“Earlier, JR (Jairus Holder - PV) told me that if he attacked in the direction of the sideline, I would just run and cut in the middle. I followed and failed many times, but on the last ball he found me running a quick cut in the middle.

With the ball, I dunked the basket really hard to bring back points for the team. It's great to see the teamwork between teammates become effective. It was even better when we got the win from that ball. I am very happy," said Hassan Thomas.

Praise must be given to Holder when he did not play individually on the decisive ball. Heat's foreign striker said that whether it's scoring points by himself or creating opportunities and assisting teammates, he is always willing to do everything to win.

However, the game is not over yet and Saigon Heat need another excellent defensive situation. This time, it was not foreign soldiers or overseas Vietnamese players, but an internal soldier spoke up, it was Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh.

The 2m03 tall player had a wise and disciplined defensive situation, completed a beautiful block to make a great contribution to keeping the victory for "Mr. 30".

Saigon Heat at ABL this year always emphasizes defense and considers this the main key to bringing victory against many different opponents.

Coach Matt Van Pelt knows that his students do not possess the same good physique as the opponent, so the Heat need to defend smarter and more united to create efficiency.

At stages 3 and 4 of the ABL Invitational 2023, this was clearly shown. The proof is not far away, but located in the block phase above of Phu Vinh.

Before Xavier Alexander was cornered so hard, the Slingers' foreign troops were unable to completely eliminate Hassan Thomas. Further, the best player on the Singapore side, Barkley, could not overcome Jairus Holder.

"I let the opponent score a lot of points in the early game, so towards the end, I knew I needed to play more firmly," Jairus Holder told Webthethao reporter after the game.

“In both final attacking situations, I stopped Barkley and gave him a lot of trouble. I'm glad it contributed directly to this win."

Except for NS Matrix Deers Malaysia, Saigon Heat has successfully avenged both of the opponents who beat them in the previous stages, Hong Kong Eastern and Singapore Slingers.

The victory against the team from the lion island nation helps Heat firmly build a position in the top 2 rankings, strengthen the Playoffs at ABL Invitational 2023. Now teachers and coach Matt Van Pelt will wait for the series of matches on 16 and 17// 2 ends to determine the opponent in the Playoffs round.

At the same time, Saigon Heat will play the last Regular Season match against Louvre Indonesia at 19:30 on Friday, February 17.