Saigon Heat dominated Cantho Catfish.

In their very first game, Saigon Heat demonstrated their class with a convincing victory over Cantho Catfish with a score of 90-64.

Jamal Mayali had a high shooting performance right from his opening game. (Photo: VBA)

In their first encounter at VBA 2026 on the evening of May 22nd, home team Saigon Heat and visiting team Cantho Catfish shared a similar strategy. Both teams entrusted the task of protecting the paint area to their domestic centers. Accordingly, Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh and Tim Waale guarded the basket for the home team, while Dau Trung Kien and Nguyen Van Gia Huy played inside for the visiting team.

In the first quarter, taking advantage of their home court and well-balanced lineup, Saigon Heat increased the pace and quickly scored points from a variety of offensive plays. Besides executing diverse offensive strategies, the former VBA champions also defended effectively, forcing the "Catfish" to make a difficult start. With this favorable start, Saigon Heat led by 10 points, 25-15.

In the second quarter, "Catfish" strengthened their offense with long-range shooting guard Nguyen Hoang Tuan and Phung Quoc Hung, but without success. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the home team continued to maintain their dominance and steadily increased their lead to over 20 points. Continuing to read their opponent's tactics, "Mr. 30" easily established a 19-point lead, 47-28.

Nguyen Hoang Tuan strives to find opportunities to score points for Cantho Catfish. (Photo: VBA)

In the third quarter, returning after the break, Saigon Heat continued to exert pressure with their fast-paced play. The high tempo of the five-time consecutive VBA champions overwhelmed the visiting team, causing them to miss many scoring opportunities. Coupled with the brilliance of foreign player Brandis Raley Ross, "Mr. 30" established a safe 32-point lead, 75-43.

Entering the final quarter, coach Vu The Cang's team continued to neutralize the opposing team's key players. In addition, Asian-American player Jamal Mayali consistently found space to maintain a lead of around 30 points. Completely dominating, Saigon Heat secured their first victory with a score of 90-64.

Jamal Mayali, Saigon Heat's star scorer, was named Player of the Game with 24 points and 6 assists.

Coach Vu The Cang had a successful debut game with Saigon Heat. (Photo: VBA)

In this game, Saigon Heat dominated in most key statistics such as field goal percentage (42% vs. 32%), rebounds (60 vs. 47), assists (20 vs. 11), etc. Besides the smooth operation of their key players, the new players built by coach Vu The Cang integrated quickly. On the other side, apart from Corey Anthony Raley Ross, Cantho Catfish's main players all scored under 10 points.

All VBA 2026 matches will be broadcast live and exclusively onFPT Play.

MINH PHU

Source: https://nhandan.vn/saigon-heat-ap-dao-cantho-catfish-post964180.html