By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After prevailing on the road against defending champions Fenerbahce, Dubai proved they are no fluke by getting the home win against Barcelona.
The final score was 83-78, and the two teams are now tied at 3-2.
Filip Petrusev with 23 points and Dwayne Bacon with 20 were the top scorers of the hosts.
Mfiondu Kabengele had a double-double (10 p. 13 r.), and Davis Bertans added 11 points and one of the biggest shots of the night. McKinley Wright also scored 11 and covered the absences of Dzanan Musa and Aleksa Avramovic.
Toko Shengelia (19 p.) and Dario Brizuela (19 p.) led a balanced offensive effort for Barcelona, which fell short in the end. Kevin Punter, however, closed the night without making a field goal and with just two points from the free-throw line.
Despite an 18-5 start for Dubai, Barcelona had a 34-33 lead at halftime, completely turning the tables. Bacon gave the hosts a two-point advantage (58-56) at the end of the third period, and everything was decided in the last 10 minutes of action.
Two threes, one by Bertans and the first made shot by Klemen Prepelic, gave Dubai a six-point advantage (69-63) with six minutes left in the game. Kabengele extended the lead to eight (71-63), and Barcelona couldn’t get into striking distance.
The guests managed to trim the lead to four (82-78) just 16 seconds before the final buzzer, and it was not enough.