Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv delivered one of the most dramatic comebacks of the EuroLeague season, defeating Dubai Basketball 104-100 in overtime on Thursday, March 26, at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade.
The victory pushed Maccabi to 17-16, giving the Israeli club its first winning record of the season and moving it ahead of Dubai, which dropped to 17-17 in the tightly contested race for a Play-In Showdown spot.
Jimmy Clark III led the comeback effort with a career-high 23 points and 10 assists, recording his first EuroLeague double-double and a personal-best performance index rating of 27.
Dubai initially controlled the game despite a difficult shooting start in the opening quarter.
The UAE club made just four of 19 field goal attempts in the first 10 minutes but still trailed only 18-17 after the period as Maccabi struggled to generate separation.
Dwayne Bacon and Dzanan Musa failed to score in the first quarter, combining for 0-of-9 shooting and a negative efficiency rating.
Dubai adjusted by running its offense through McKinley Wright IV and attacking the interior with Filip Petrusev and Mfiondu Kabengele.
The strategy worked as Dubai shot an impressive 18-of-22 from two-point range across the second and third quarters, building a 70-63 advantage.
The visitors extended their lead to 66-51 midway through the third period, appearing to have control of the physical contest.
Maccabi responded late in the third quarter as Zach Hankins sparked the rally while O’Shea Brissett added energy on both ends of the floor.
Brissett’s effort helped the Israeli side erase the deficit, tying the game at 76-76 with six minutes remaining in regulation.
Kabengele answered with a dominant stretch that pushed Dubai ahead 88-85 late in the fourth quarter.
Roman Sorkin then produced the defining defensive play of the night.
The Maccabi forward stole the ball and delivered a behind-the-back pass to John DiBartolomeo while falling out of bounds, creating a final opportunity.
Sorkin missed the initial shot, but Brissett converted a put-back layup with 0.9 seconds remaining to force overtime.
Momentum carried into the extra period as Clark took control offensively.
The guard scored five points in overtime while Sorkin and Brissett each knocked down key three-pointers that helped secure the win.
Brissett finished with 18 points and a career-high performance index rating of 25, continuing a strong stretch that has seen him average 13.8 points and 8.5 rebounds over the last four games.
Kabengele led Dubai with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Wright scored 26 points and added six assists.
The loss halted Dubai’s push up the standings as the play-in race tightens entering the final stretch of the regular season.
Maccabi will host Anadolu Efes Istanbul on April 2, while Dubai faces AS Monaco the same day at Zetra Arena in Sarajevo.
