The Saigon Heat showed no mercy as they manhandled CLS Knights Indonesia to a 114-86 decision at the CIS Arena in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.
With the Heat win, they have officially eliminated the Knights from playoff contention.
Moses Morgan was back from a two-game absence and returned with a vengeance. The Heritage Import tied a career-high of 30 points after missing time because of a hyper-extended. He also knocked down 8 three-pointers, the most in his three-year stay with the Heat.
Aside from Morgan, Maxie Esho proved to be the difference. The big man showed off his quickness and versatility, scoring 35 points, three points shy from his career-best. Esho was efficient on the floor as he went 14-for-21 from the field to go along with 12 rebounds.
A second half flurry by the Heat buried the Knights. The score was 50-42 in favor of the home team at the halftime break. But in the last two quarters, the Heat outscored the Knights, 64-44. They would lead by as much as 33 points in the lopsided affair.
With Morgan leading the way, the Heat also ended up with 16 triples. The hot three-point shooting by the Heat proved to be the difference.
The only bright spot for the Knights was Shane Edwards who tallied 23 points. The only other player who reached double-figures was Brian Williams who had 16. The Knights unfortunately did little to withstand the Heat onslaught, which resulted in them being eliminated from the postseason picture. They have lost their fifth straight game of the season and now have a 3-13 slate.
The Heat meanwhile improved to 8 wins in the season, as they remain sixth in the standings. They are still chasing the Chong Son Kung Fu Basketball Team and Singapore Slingers for the last remaining spot in the playoffs.
