Crucial Games from Start to Finish Highlights Action in Day Four

NONTHABURI (FIBA Asia Cup 2021 SEABA Pre-Qualifier) - There will be plenty at stake in Day Four of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 SEABA Pre-Qualifiers for all three games. Malaysia can clinch the final qualifying spot win a win over rivals Singapore. Both Brunei Darussalam and Cambodia need wins to keep their hopes alive as they play each other. Indonesia and Thailand take their unblemished records to the test against each other in a game that could possibly determine the champion of this tournament.

Don’t blink!

Malaysia vs Singapore

 The two teams are known to have tangled history against each other and they can further build onto their rivalry here in this game. Malaysia would certainly like to seal the deal and move on to the next qualifying round with a win here, and nothing would be sweeter than to claim it over Singapore. On Singapore’s end, they have already qualified, but taking a loss here with a possibility of finishing below Malaysia in the final standings would not feel good.

 Singapore will have an advantage of coming into the game in better condition than their opponent. They had an easier game the day before against Brunei and was able to rest star Delvin Goh, saving him for this matchup. Singapore has done a marvelous job of handling the ball with only 10.0 turnovers per game (1st), which should be a nice challenge for Malaysia that thrives on aggressive pressuring defense. Coach Hsu’s squad has done a good job in this tournament of moving the ball around, but as seen in the game against Thailand, they desperately need to do a better job of making their threes. Singapore is shooting only 25.6% from downtown, well behind the other Top 3 teams in the playing field.

 Malaysia’s struggles continue in the backcourt and Coach Brian Lester might have to get creative in this game to fill in the void. Teo Kok Hou and Heng Yee Tong are clearly not 100% and while Ong Wei Yong is serviceable, the offense has suffered. Malaysia has coughed up the ball at an alarming 19.0 turnovers per game rate, second most among all teams. Singapore is a team that loves pouncing on those opportunities, so Malaysia will have to figure out how to cut those turnovers down.

 Key Matchup: Wong Yi Hou (21) and Ting Chun Hong (22) have been the consistent contributors for Malaysia on the scoring end. It’s going to be fun to see them go up against Kelvin Lim (21) and Leon Kwek (21) in what should be a glimpse at the future for both teams.

 Indonesia vs Thailand

Thailand had a few hiccups in the past two games, but they will now go in with an undefeated record to face also undefeated Indonesia. These two have heated history, with Thailand losing two crucial matches against Indonesia in 2017. This is either a chance for revenge or to rub it in for both teams.

While Thailand’s games have been rocky and a bit unstable, they have displayed that they have definite star power in Tyler Lamb and Chanatip Jakrawan who can serve as trump cards over other teams all by themselves. Lamb has been unstoppable on offense with 20.3 points (2^nd) and a shooting line of 54.1 FG% / 42.1 3P% / 86.7 FT%. Jakrawan himself has been breaking out, now with 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. More impressively has been his defense, where he has swatted away 3.3 block per game for 10 blocks total. Only Singapore has the as many blocks total as an entire team.

However, the woes of Thailand still rests on their shaky guard play. The tempo and rhythm of Thailand’s offensive flow has been scattered around and to beat Indonesia, they will need to figure it out.

Coach Fictor Roring has had two easy games leading up to the big match up, which might seem good at first glance. However, it also might backfire if it leads to complacency. Roring needs to find a way to get his team ready from the beginning of the game, where Thailand has excelled. If they get too used to the crusing pace they’ve been in for the past two games, Thailand might be able to deal the blow quick and sudden enough to build too big of a lead to get out of.

However, Indonesia’s Andakara Prastawa is having the hot hand of his life with a blistering 60.6% from three-point land in the past three games. He leads the tournament with 21 threes and he will test Thailand’s perimeter defense to the limit. Also not to be forgotten is Arki Wisnu, who has been resting for most of the tournament, possibly waiting to be unleashed against Thailand in particular.

Key Matchup: While they probably won’t be matching up when they are on the court, whatever Tyler Lamb and Arki Wisnu does on offense will most likely dictate the outcome of the game. The two have polarizing styles of play which will make it a wonder to watch as the game unfolds.

 Cambodia vs Brunei Darussalam

Both teams have taken tough beatings since Day One and now in Day Four, one of them will have the opportunity to go away with at least one win in this tournament.

Brunei’s margin of defeat has decreased in every game since game one and it would seem like they have the upper hand over Cambodia especially in terms of experience and game plan. The trio of Benjamin Sin, Ahmad Termizi Bin Haji Noordeen, and Md Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin have looked solid. They each bring a little of something to the table to give Brunei a balanced offense.

Cambodia, on the other hand, will once again depend on the Dominic Dar to get themselves on the board. After three straight games, Dar has yet to have spent a single second on the bench. With an opportunity to win at the line, don’t expect Dar to start taking breaks now. 

Key Matchup: Dar and “Mizi” will be the primary ball handlers of both teams and it will be this match up that should make or break whoever wins this game.

FIBA