Dubai Basketball produced a dramatic late rally Tuesday night, scoring 38 fourth-quarter points to defeat Zalgiris Kaunas 77-65 at Zalgirio Arena and keep its EuroLeague postseason hopes alive.
The victory improved Dubai to 19-17 and tightened the race near the play-in positions, with Jurica Golemac’s team now within reach of AS Monaco in the standings.
For most of the game, however, the result appeared headed in the opposite direction.
Zalgiris entered the matchup riding a seven-game home winning streak and had not lost at Zalgirio Arena during the calendar year. The hosts controlled the tempo through three quarters and extended their lead to 56-41 early in the fourth after Edgaras Ulanovas connected from beyond the arc.
Dubai had struggled offensively up to that point, managing only 39 points through three quarters — the lowest scoring total through 30 minutes in the club’s EuroLeague history.
Everything changed over the final nine minutes.
Aleksa Avramovic sparked the turnaround with aggressive drives, perimeter shooting and defensive intensity. His three-pointer cut the deficit to single digits at 56-48 and energized the visitors.
The Serbian guard followed with five straight points to trim the margin to 58-55, while also forcing a key offensive foul on Sylvain Francisco during a defensive possession.
Dubai’s defense tightened simultaneously, limiting Zalgiris to just 12 points in the fourth quarter after the Lithuanian side had scored at least 17 in each of the previous periods.
Momentum fully shifted midway through the quarter.
After Francisco committed a turnover and Moses Wright blocked a shot at the rim, Avramovic recovered the loose ball and found Justin Anderson cutting through the lane. Anderson finished with a dunk to give Dubai a 64-63 lead, its first since the middle of the first quarter.
From there, the visitors closed the game with timely shooting.
Davis Bertans, who had not scored through three quarters, hit consecutive three-pointers that extended the advantage to 73-65. McKinley Wright IV and Mfiondu Kabengele added the final points to complete the comeback.
Avramovic finished with 15 points and provided the emotional spark behind Dubai’s surge.
Dubai received balanced scoring across the lineup, with Justin Anderson, Dzanan Musa, Mfiondu Kabengele and Bruno Caboclo each contributing nine or more points.
For Zalgiris, Moses Wright led the way with 15 points, while Arnas Butkevicius added 12 in the loss.
Dubai now returns to Sarajevo for its final two regular-season games against Anadolu Efes and Valencia. Zalgiris travels to Belgrade to face Partizan before hosting Paris in its last home game.
