Dubai Basketball will go into next week’s highly-anticipated game against Partizan Mozzart in the ABA League, on the back of five consecutive victories after defeating SC Derby 98-86 at home at Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday night.
In front of a loud, near-capacity crowd on International Women’s Day, Dubai Basketball produced an entertaining performance as they overcame an early deficit to take their ABA League record to 17-5. Dubai Basketball’s starting Shooting Guard & fan-favourite, Danilo Anđušić, finished as the game’s top-scorer with an incredible 22 points in 22 minutes of play.
SC Derby began the game with red-hot offensive intensity, marked by Andrija Grbović’s two consecutive three-pointers as they raced to a 12-6 lead. But Dubai answered right back, with Davis Bertans knocking down two clutch jump shots in traffic; Dubai would end the first quarter with a 20-19 lead.
The second quarter began with an emphatic dunk from Center Jerry Boutsiele, bringing the Dubai fans to their feet as the home side extended the advantage. In what some officials were calling the loudest game of the season, Dubai’s fans brought noise decibels inside Coca-Cola Arena to another level after Nemanja Dangubić nailed a three pointer just before half, for a 48-39 lead.
Going into the final quarter with a 76-62 lead, Dubai Basketball kept up the offensive pressure, attacking the basket to secure a 98-86 final outcome.
Head coach Jurica Golemac was pleased with his team’s performance and says his players are peaking at the right time, with Dubai’s playoff debut inching closer.
He said: “I must congratulate my players and the fans today, who were our sixth player. I’m satisfied today because we had 23 assists and 10 steals all while playing good basketball. SC Derby is a very good team and had a couple of moments of momentum but we defended well from those moments.”
He added: “The Partizan game is like every other game. We will prepare and practice well. What makes me happy is that all the players are healthy now and everybody is in good condition. But we got a lot of room to improve on and we will work hard this week before we face Partizan.”
Dubai Basketball will return to Coca-Cola Arena next week on Monday 17th March as they welcome ABA League leaders and EuroLeague powerhouse, Partizan Mozzart, for a crucial Game 23 clash. Tickets are still available for the game, which tips off at 7:30pm with prices starting from just AED 75. You can purchase yours here.
