Dubai Basketball saw their perfect start to the ABA League season come to an end on Saturday night as Serbian team KK Mega Basket claimed a narrow 83-80 victory in a game attended by NBA stars.
Both teams went into the Round 3 game with 2-0 records, and it was KK Mega Basket who maintained their flawless start to the season with a closely fought victory in front of almost 4,000 fans at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Among the stars sitting at courtside were Denver Nuggets’ three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and teammates Vlatko Cancar and Dario Saric. They were joined by Nuggets owners Stanley Kroenke and Josh Kroenke. The NBA franchise are in the UAE taking part in the NBA Abu Dhabi Games – a two-game pre-season event against the Boston Celtics.
The fans were treated to a thrilling game that was decided in the last second on a controversial foul call against Awudu Abass that brought Kosta Kondic to the free-throw line; he scored three consecutive points to seal his team’s victory.
Earlier, the hosts made a strong start to the game. Leon Radosevic’s three-pointer was among the highlights that saw Dubai BC take a 24-18 advantage at the end of the first quarter. By the end of the second quarter, KK Mega Basket had found their rhythm, but Dubai’s intensity saw them rewarded with a 45-36 advantage going into half-time.
The third quarter was closely fought as KK Mega Basket closed the gap to just three points at 63-60, setting up an enthralling final 10 minutes. With the scores tied at 77-77, Kondic hit a three-pointer to give his team a three-point lead going into the final minute.
However, Dubai responded as Danilo Andusic drove through the lane for a basket, and was fouled in the process, making the free throw to tie the game at 80-80.
As the clock went below five seconds, and with Dubai’s defence pressuring, Kondic’s three-point attempt was off the mark, but a foul was called, sending him to the line for three, with the game in the balance. Kondic kept his cool despite the loud Dubai crowd, draining all three shots and finishing the game’s joint-top scorer with Filip Jovic (16).
For Dubai, Isaiah Taylor scored a game-high 14 points and also grabbed five rebounds while captain Klemen Prepelic continued his impressive form with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
"We couldn't catch the rhythm and break the game. We were up most of the game. But we never got through and Mega played extremely energetically and extremely quick," Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac said. "I would say at crucial moments we missed a couple of lay-ups and we let them shoot open shots on the end.
“The season is a marathon and not a sprint, but we need to learn from the mistakes. From the defeats – we are learning. Defeats make you learn; defeats make you work harder. In the wins, not everything is perfect, and in the defeats not everything is bad.”
Dubai will next be in action on Sunday when they travel to Serbia to take on KK Borac. They will then return to Coca-Cola Arena for the home game against Spartak Subotica on October 20.
Dubai BC are making history as the first professional basketball team from the UAE to play in a major European league.
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