Vietnamese-Dutch star plays up against Saigon Heat at 2021 VBA
Saturday, November 20, 2021, 18:12 GMT+7
Vincent Nguyen helped Ho Chi Minh City Wings give VBA champions Saigon Heat an uneasy Game 28, despite the suspension of key player Makinde London, with his impressive performance.
100 percent free-throw efficiency
In Game 28, many expected that Saigon Heat would have an easy victory as foreign player Makinde London of Ho Chi Minh City Wings was suspended due to an unsportsmanlike foul on Sang Dinh in the previous match against Hanoi Buffaloes.
However, with an impressive performance of 32 points and a 100-percent successful free-throw rate in 14 goals, Vietnamese-born player Vincent Nguyen challenged the stars of Saigon Heat.
Despite the pressure of a constant point difference to the Heat, coach Erik Olson’s players kept high spirits under the lead of this Vietnamese-Dutch star to showcase a non-stop point chase after their opponents until the last minutes.
Vincent Nguyen was so good that he almost stole the victory from the champions.
This is not the first time Vincent Nguyen has achieved a 100-percent free-throw efficiency as at the 2017 VBA, he accurately finished all nine free throws, helping Hanoi Buffaloes defeat Ho Chi Minh City Wings.
Key to Ho Chi Minh City Wings’ transformation
Ho Chi Minh City Wings had a bad season at the 2020 VBA, when they ended bottom of the ranking table with only three victories after 12 games.
However, the Wings took the VBA Premier Bubble Games - Brought to you by NovaWorld Phan Thiet by storm with four wins against such strong teams as 2020 runners-up Thang Long Warriors and Hanoi Buffaloes.
|
|
| Ho Chi Minh City Wings’ Vincent Nguyen and Saigon Heat’s players in action during Game 25 of the VBA Premier Bubble Games - Brought to you by NovaWorld Phan Thiet. Photo: VBA |
It is safe to say that the key to Ho Chi Minh City Wings’ transformation is Vincent Nguyen.
With the experience of competing at the VBA since 2017, Vincent Nguyen’s capacity has reached the level of a foreign player in the position of a defender.
With his contribution, it looks like Ho Chi Minh City Wings has three foreign players in the squad.
It was Vincent Nguyen who performed a classy long shot that brought three points in the last second to help the Wings defeat Cantho Catfish in Game 14.
Besides, the experience of coaching the youth team of Ho Chi Minh City Wings Club also makes Vincent Nguyen an important bridge to help teammates improvise flexibly according to the intentions of coach Erik Olson.
Saigon Heat extends unbeaten streak
Game 25 of the VBA Premier Bubble Games - Brought to you by NovaWorld Phan Thiet was a derby between Ho Chi Minh City Wings and Saigon Heat.
In the absence of foreign player Makinde London, Ho Chi Minh City Wings sweated a lot to chase after Saigon Heat.
Although there was a time when the score was equalized at 85-85, the tenacity of Ho Chi Minh City Wings could not defeat the bravery of VBA champions Saigon Heat.
As a result, Saigon Heat claimed a 91-85 victory.
As usual, Daquan Bracey was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game with 30 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
