Dubai Basketball strengthened its EuroLeague playoff push with a 101-91 victory over AS Monaco on Thursday night at Zetra Arena in Sarajevo.
The win improved Dubai to 18-17 with three regular-season games remaining, while Monaco dropped to 19-16 and slipped further into the congested play-in race.
Jurica Golemac’s team entered the game under pressure after back-to-back losses to Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel Aviv but responded with an efficient offensive performance.
Dzanan Musa led Dubai with 25 points and a career-high 10 assists, recording his first double-double of the season in just over 30 minutes on the floor.
The Bosnian guard started aggressively, scoring 13 points in the opening quarter as Dubai built a 24-18 lead after 10 minutes.
Monaco answered in the second quarter behind balanced scoring from Alpha Diallo and Kevarrius Hayes, outscoring the hosts 29-23 to tie the game 47-47 at halftime.
Musa finished the night 5-for-7 from three-point range and continued his strong form in Sarajevo, where he has averaged 25 points across three EuroLeague appearances.
McKinley Wright delivered in the decisive stretch, scoring 8 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter.
A three-pointer from Nikola Mirotic cut Monaco’s deficit to 78-76 with seven minutes remaining, briefly shifting momentum.
Wright responded immediately by assisting Mfiondu Kabengele for a basket and scoring inside to push Dubai’s lead back to six.
The 27-year-old guard then scored three consecutive baskets that extended the margin to 93-84, effectively sealing the result.
Wright finished with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting from inside the arc, along with seven assists and three steals.
Kabengele added 18 points and nine rebounds for Dubai, while Justin Anderson contributed 11 points and five rebounds.
Monaco received 17 points from Diallo and 17 from Hayes, while Mirotic added 15 points.
Dubai shot 62.8 percent on two-point attempts and 46.2 percent from three-point range, generating 24 assists on 39 made field goals.
Following Crvena Zvezda’s loss earlier in the round, Dubai moved back within striking distance of the play-in positions.
Dubai will visit Zalgiris Kaunas on April 7 before hosting Anadolu Efes on April 10.
Monaco returns home to face LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on April 8 before hosting Barcelona two days later.
