Match Preview
Dubai are not joking around in their second EuroLeague season, starting the new campaign by taking down Spanish big guns Real Madrid and Barcelona. Can they force an upset against Fenerbahce in Istanbul?
Fenerbahce Showing Strong Form at Home
Fenerbahce opened the new EuroLeague season with a great defensive display and a 78-68 home victory against Virtus Bologna last week, where Braxton Key played a huge role with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Yellow Canaries made it two in a row on Tuesday evening, delivering outstanding shooting numbers in a 100-76 victory against Bayern, also in Istanbul (15 out of 30 from three-point range). Talen Horton-Tucker starred this time with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Speaking of their domestic affairs, Sarunas Jasikevicius’ side won the Turkish Super Cup against Besiktas 72-59, but suffered a shock 98-83 defeat in the Super Lig opener to Bahcesehir last weekend.
Dubai Taking Down Spanish Giants
Dubai are a serious Final Four contender this season in the EuroLeague, at least judging by the early days, where they took two scalps against Spanish giants.
The UAE champions claimed their revenge win against Real Madrid 78-77 on Thursday (previously lost in the EL SuperCup), where McKinley Wright scored the deciding three-pointer with 50 seconds left on the clock, while Dwayne Bacon dominated the floor with 24 points.
They made it two in a row on Tuesday by outrunning Barcelona 94-87. Mfiondu Kabengele played the key role this time, scoring 21 points with 8/11 FG shooting.