“Guarding [Evan] Gilyard [Jnr] was a big defensive assignment but overall we played good team defence and I think that was what got us going.
“We got one more game [on Sunday] and we are locked in for that. I am going to watch some films and see what I could have done better, and get my body recovered as it is important because it is back-to-back games.”
Oliver Xu came off the bench to finish with 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Despite having one more rest day than the home team after this week’s semi-finals, Eastern, who finished the regular season with a 10-4 record, found themselves trailing early on.
American guard Gilyard knocked down a three-pointer – one of four long-range baskets for the home team – to give the Heat a nine-point lead late in the first quarter.
“We knew they would come out hot and with a lot of energy, which is what they did,” Dominic Gilbert said. “So we knew that we were just going to have to ride that out and play composed.”
The 2017 champions, who were stopped in the 2019 and 2019 semi-finals, came out strong in the second quarter.
A 13-7 run – in which Croatian-Australian forward Gilbert contributed six points – saw Eastern tying the game at 27-27 with five minutes to go before halftime.
“We started to get more stops on defence and easy baskets,” Gilbert – who finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists – said. “That allowed us to come back in the game.”
Playing in their second ABL final, Eastern had another strong quarter after the restart.
O’Darien Bassett finished with 22 points.
Trailing 54-53 after yet another Gilyard three-pointer, the regular season second-placed team responded with a 14-0 run, highlighted by O’Darien Bassett’s seven points.
A 13-point advantage heading into the final quarter would grow to a 24-point lead for Eastern before the visitors settled for a comfortable 16-point win.
Gilbert, who played over 38 minutes alongside Bassett, believed the extra rest day “differentiated” the two teams.
“The Heat played three tough, tightly contested games against Singapore Slingers with one going to overtime and it probably took a lot out of them,” the 26-year-old said.
“Thankfully we got an extra day of rest but it does not have to mean anything, they are going to be playing for their season on Sunday so they will come out with a tonne of energy.”
Chris McLaughlin finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday night.
For the third straight game in the play-offs, Eastern kept their turnover numbers to a single digit.
The Hong Kong franchise also out-rebounded the host and scored 50 points in the paint, compared to just 26 by the Heat.
With Saturday’s win, Eastern are only one win away from clinching their second ABL championship in franchise history.
Game 2 will be played at the same 2,100-seater arena on Sunday, with the decider – if necessary – set for next Tuesday.
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