Fueled by the home fans, Saigon Heat defeated the Macau Black Bears at the Nguyen Du Stadium

The last time basketball fans were able to directly watch an ABL match - Southeast Asian Professional Basketball Tournament was the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet broken out.

Three years later, Saigon Heat fans in particular and neutral fans in general were able to experience an international match at club level again. Taking place at Nguyen Du gymnasium, "Mr 30" today welcomed the Macau Black Bears in the framework of stage 4 of the ABL Invitational 2023.

Today is a relatively light match of the pillars in the main Saigon Heat squad. No one played more than 29 minutes in the competition, but "Mr. 30" took the initiative.

Although there were two moments of neglect and loss of the lead with a large gap (the farthest reached 27 points), the coach Matt Van Pelt's students still adjusted their play at the right time to control the game.

Thanks to that, Jairus Holder and his teammates entertained Saigon Heat fans at Nguyen Du gymnasium with a final victory with a score of 79-70.

Jairus Holder was the top scorer for Saigon Heat with 22 points, 8-15 FG, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The other two names over 10 points are Evan Gilyard (12 points, 3 assists) and Jeremy Combs (14 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists).

Heat's reserve lineup today has 17 points, led by Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh (5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block) and captain Tim Waale (6 points, 3-4 FG, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) ).

After this victory, the home team of stage 4 ABL Invitational 2023 will have 2 days of rest before returning to the field on Wednesday, February 15. Saigon Heat's opponent is the Singapore Slingers, the team that once defeated "Mr. 30" in stage 2 with a 1 point difference.