Dubai Basketball survive Split scare to continue winning streak
DUBAI (ALETIHAD)Dubai Basketball staged a last-minute comeback to secure a 87-82 victory over Croatian side Split for their 11th consecutive victory in the ABA League, taking their win-loss record in their debut season to an impressive 23-5. With just one home game remaining before the playoffs, the team has cemented its place as one of the standout teams of the season.Dubai Basketball delivered a dominant first half, outscoring Split with quick offensive blows and solid defence. Dubai Basketball's 'Latvian Laser' Davis Bertans led the scoring with 25 points from a clinical shooting display to be the hero of the night.'Our first half was very, very good,' said head coach Jurica Golemac after the match. 'We played with intent, we executed well and we were in control. But then, we thought it was finished, and Split didn't give up. We gave them the chance and the hope that they could win this game.'With momentum shifting, Dubai's rhythm appeared to falter towards the final minutes of the game. 'We started to not move the ball,' Golemac admitted. 'We missed a couple of open shots. We played basket to basket, and that's never good. They got momentum, and they were scoring tough shots – even with good defence.'Split seized the opportunity with a burst of energy in the second half, clawing back a 12-point deficit and even taking a narrow lead at one point in the final quarter. Their head coach shared his half-time message, telling his players to 'to take control of our lives – [the game] is in our own hands'.As the game tightened, Golemac made a decisive move, bringing on Nemanja Dangubić to help the team from deep in the court. The commanding forward responded immediately. 'In the end, I have to give credit to the players,' Golemac added. 'We managed. We never gave up. With defence, we won the game. And with the great help of our fans, they never gave up on us, and they gave us the extra energy when we needed it.'The last couple of weeks we had easier victories, and I think everyone expected that tonight would be the same – especially after the way the game started. But as I always say, we play for 40 minutes. Not 10, not 12, not even 38. We play for 40.
'It's hard to stay at a high level week after week,' he added. 'Now we need to analyse what went wrong, look at what we can improve, and get back to work in practice to prepare for the next game.'
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