Eng Tat Hornets made light work of Tunsan on Friday evening, winning 81-65 in the NBL in Singapore. The visitors were already top of the table before kickoff, and they showed no sign of easing up against a side that had managed just one victory in nine games.
And here's the thing about this result — it tells you everything about where these two teams stand. Tunsan have struggled all season, sitting tenth with only a single win to their name. Eng Tat, meanwhile, have lost just once in nine matches and are running away with the league.
The visitors have been building momentum of their own. They beat Tongsui 96-67 and Adroit Sports 72-63 before that narrow 88-86 defeat to Tunsan back in August. Since then, they've won three straight — against Xinhua, SG Basketball, and now Tunsan again — and the gap at the top is widening.
To be fair, Tunsan gave themselves little chance. They had lost eight of their previous nine games and this was another heavy defeat. They went down 66-86 to Siglap, lost to Eng Tat Hornets 86-88, and were beaten by Adroit Sports 87-102 in a run of results that leaves them bottom of the pile.
By then, the pattern was clear. Tunsan are not going to trouble the leaders anytime soon. Eng Tat's eight wins from nine games put them firmly in control, and this comfortable margin meant little would change in the standings — the hosts remain tenth, the visitors remain first.