The Singapore Slingers will look to make it five in a row as they face the surging Saigon Heat, winners of back-to-back games, in the CIS Arena in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The Slingers are the hottest team in the ABL right now, winners of four straight games. Their latest conquest was the winless Wolf Warriors, with Singapore taking a wire-to-wire 99-77 victory. Leading the way was World Import Jerran Young. He finished with an impressive all-around performance of 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. Teammate Xavier Alexander flirted with a triple double of 12 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists in the easy victory.
The Slingers were able to open up a lead of as many as 31 points in the game, as they showcased the teamwork and relentless defense that has defined the team’s identity thus far in the ABL. They held the Wolf Warriors to 39% shooting from the field, and only 5/18 triples for 26% from beyond the arc.
On the offensive side, Singapore racked up 26 assists, compared to only 12 total for the Wolf Warriors. One of the recipients of Alexander and the rest of the team’s unselfishness was Larry Liew. The sweet shooting guard made a scorching six triples on 75% shooting, to finish with 18 points in only 22 minutes of action.
The Slingers will be led once again by Alexander, who is averaging almost a triple double of 20.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and a league-high 10.4 assists. Aside from Young, the Slingers will also be looking for the reliable John Fields to anchor the middle once again. He’s currently averaging a double-double of 22.4 points and 11.2 rebounds, while also chipping in 2 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest.
The Slingers will have their hands full with the Heat, currently with a 5-2 record and sitting at 5th place. The team is led by World Import Murphy Burnatowski, who comes into the game averaging 24.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists. A local player that has also given the team a big boost is Tanh Sang Dinh. The 6’1 guard is averaging 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Heat.
In a battle of two surging squads, can the Slingers make it five in a row? Find out in Sunday Singapore basketball action.
