Dubai Basketball made a statement in its first-ever EuroLeague game, defeating Partizan Belgrade 89-76 on Tuesday night at Coca-Cola Arena.
The hosts started red hot, sinking their first seven three-point attempts and never looked back after briefly falling behind in the third quarter.
Davis Bertans led the way with 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting from deep. Dzanan Musa added 19, while Mfioundu Kabengele chipped in 15 points during a decisive third-quarter stretch.
Filip Petrusev posted 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Dwayne Bacon contributed 11 as Dubai had five players finish in double figures.
Partizan relied on Tyrique Jones, who tallied 13 points and 6 boards. Dylan Osetkowski scored 12, while Jabari Parker and Shake Milton added 11 and 10 respectively.
Dubai set the tone early, shooting 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first quarter to build a 28-18 advantage. Bertans hit three triples in the opening frame to ignite the home crowd.
Musa’s long-range shot in the second period pushed the lead to 41-27, but Partizan answered with offensive rebounding from Isaac Bonga and a three-point play by Milton to cut it to 47-40 at halftime.
The visitors briefly went ahead 48-47 after an 8-0 run to open the third quarter. Kabengele immediately responded, scoring eight points in a 17-2 surge that put Dubai back in control.
By the end of the third, the hosts led 68-56, and the margin only widened in the final 10 minutes. Bertans and Petrusev combined for eight early fourth-quarter points to stretch the lead past 20.
Justin Anderson’s jumper pushed the gap to 80-58, sealing the outcome as Dubai cruised to a landmark victory in its EuroLeague debut.
Dubai’s efficient shooting proved decisive, with the team connecting on 55 percent from three-point range and 51 percent overall. They also registered 21 assists against only eight turnovers.
Partizan finished at 44 percent from inside the arc and 38 percent from deep but struggled to contain Dubai’s perimeter attack.
