Three things to know about the "great battle" Saigon Heat vs NS Matrix - ABL Invitational 2023

Tomorrow night (February 8), Saigon Heat will enter the most important match of the Regular Season ABL Invitational 2023. The opponent of coach Matt Van Pelt's teachers and students is NS Matrix Deers Malaysia, the host of stage 3 and The team is also on an 8-match unbeaten streak.

Both Heat and NS Matrix are having a record of 8 wins in 10 matches played. While Matrix owns a series of 8 unbeaten matches, the Vietnamese representative has won in the last 4 matches.

Here are three things to know about the most watched match of stage 3 as well as the entire Regular Season ABL season 11 this season.

With a total record of 8-2, Saigon Heat and NS Matrix Deers are sharing the top two positions in the rankings. Coach Matt Van Pelt's army temporarily ranked first due to more head-to-head stats, having won against the Malaysian representative with a score of 88-84 in stage 1.

Called the most watched match in stage 3 as well as the entire ABL Invitational 2023 qualifier because it will be a battle of the top two teams, the two strongest teams and also show the most stable performance throughout the season.

The winner tomorrow will monopolize the 1st place on the rankings, and close the Playoffs ticket 1 stage early.

Therefore, not only Saigon Heat and NS Matrix fans, but also neutral fans will also head to MABA Stadium to watch the epic battle between the two strongest teams in the tournament so far.

NS Matrix used to be the champion of Saigon Heat in stage 1 with a difference of 4 points (score 88-84). At that time, both teams had just played the second game at the ABL Invitational 2023, had to play in an away country (Singapore) and had not yet shown their best basketball.

At one point leading 9 points, Saigon Heat completed the comeback with an explosive fourth half. In which, it is impossible to ignore the 14-4 score series of Evan Gilyard and Vo Kim Ban to bring the Heat to the final victory.

However, things have changed a lot since the match took place in Singapore over a month ago. With the team from Malaysia, they have won 8 matches in a row since losing to Saigon Heat, defeating all opponents from strong to weak in turn.

It is worth noting that NS Matrix has just added a new foreign player before stage 3 - American defender Isaiah Williams. Having been undefeated for 6 matches in a row despite "defying" a foreign soldier, NS Matrix will become even more formidable at the present time.

"It's a player that we have to pay attention to ... although NS Matrix still has many other great names like Tevin Glass, Amir Williams or the domestic army," coach Matt Van Pelt cautiously faced the opponent.

"He is a PG with speed, breakthrough ability and can throw very well. He played in Europe before and had 6-7 3-pointers per game. This is it. very significant addition to NS Matrix".

The opponent is stronger, but Saigon Heat also has noticeable changes, especially in the unity of the whole team. Experiencing two defeats in Indonesia and six victories in Singapore and Malaysia, the "Mr 30" team this time has matured a lot.

“In my opinion, the biggest change of Saigon Heat is the cohesion and mutual trust between teammates. When they go on the field to fight together more, the players will understand each other and trust each other more, "said coach Matt Van Pelt.

"That's very important," said foreign defender Evan Gilyard.

Having to play away from home also brings some difficulties for "Mr 30". There is a high possibility that the MABA arena will be covered for the great battle between Heat and Matrix. Even so, the players see this as a challenge they are ready to face.

"A competitive environment like this is definitely stressful, but it also creates the excitement that I and my teammates look forward to," Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh shared.

"The opponent is strong and must play away, but Saigon Heat also has a good preparation from the coaching staff to be ready for this important match"

Both Saigon Heat and NS Matrix Deers Malaysia are expected to play with the strongest lineup. On the Vietnamese side, young player Nguyen Anh Kiet suffered from mild pain and had to practice separately. However, there is a high chance that he can still play.

As observed by the Webthethao reporter, the Saigon Heat team is in very good spirits at the pre-match training session against NS Matrix. The coaching staff has prepared professionally for the players so that they are all ready for tomorrow.

The competition between Saigon Heat and NS Matrix will take place at 19:00 on Wednesday, February 8 at MABA Arena, Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia. Spectators in Vietnam can watch the match through the FPT Play application.