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Dubai are having significant offensive problems under Xavi Pascual, resulting in two consecutive EuroLeague defeats. Baskonia defeated the UAE champions 92-85 at this arena last year but are tagged as underdogs this time around.
Baskonia at 50% Win Rate at Home
Baskonia have made a rough start to the new EuroLeague season, which hardly comes as a surprise considering their difficulties in signing a proper centre. They currently sit in 19th place with a 1-3 record.
They lost their opening two games against reigning champions Olympiakos 106-89 and Valencia 111-88, while their only victory came earlier this month against Milano, winning 86-76 at home.
Baskonia were tagged as warm favorites against Besiktas last Friday, with the game also taking place in Vitoria, but struggled badly with their shooting, making just three of 19 three-point attempts. They eventually suffered an 92-84 defeat. Chris Duarte delivered a great performance with 23 points, converting all 15 of his free throws.
Dubai's Offense Stalling After Strong Start
Dubai opened the new season in the best possible way, edging out Real Madrid 78-77 in the opening round at home, with McKingley Wright hitting the decisive three-pointer with 50 seconds left on the clock.
They claimed another big scalp in the second round, also at Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE, beating Barcelona 94-87 in an entertaining contest where Mfiondu Kabengele starred with 21 points on 8/11 field-goal shooting.
A 76-66 defeat to Fenerbahce was somewhat expected in the following game, but their offensive problems continued last week. Dubai delivered arguably their worst EuroLeague performance to date, losing 77-58 at home to Crvena Zvezda while shooting just 32%.