Name: Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv v Olympiacos Piraeus (2025-10-16T19:00:00.000Z)

London Lions-Dolomiti Energia Trento | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroCup

London Lions v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2025-10-16T18:30:00.000Z)

The London Lions players and coaches didn’t describe their first BKT EuroCup victory of the season as a tale of two halves – but they likely know it was. A lackluster second-half showing left plenty of homework after an impressive opening 20 minutes.

First victory brings good feeling, but second half shows London still has work to do

The [London Lions](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/london-lions/lli/) players and coaches didn’t describe their first BKT EuroCup victory of the season as a tale of two halves – but they likely know it was. A lackluster second-half showing left plenty of homework after an impressive opening 20 minutes.

London stormed out to a 39-point lead just three minutes into the second half, looking like world beaters in their Group B matchup. [Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dolomiti-energia-trento/trn/), to its credit, fought back and made the final score more respectable at 87-71.

“It always feels good to get into the win column. We’ve been struggling in the EuroCup – two bad losses: one at home and one on the road. But we wanted to come out, show our fans what we really have, and get a win,” said [Tarik Phillip](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tarik-phillip/009649/), who recorded 15 points and 7 assists as London improved to 1–2.

Phillip, 32, wasn’t surprised Trento fought back. “No team is going to be an easy out, as you can see. They wouldn’t lay down,” he said.

Desperate for a spark, Trento threw on a full-court press, forcing some turnovers and giving London’s new head coach Tautvydas Sabonis something to think about. The Italians cut the lead to nine with just over two minutes left, but London finally executed offensively to close the game.

“The first half, we were great. We defended, and we played the basketball that I and the coaching staff envisioned. The offense just builds off that,” said Sabonis. “In the second half, we knew they were going to come out harder, stronger, and more physical. We tried to explain that to the players – good teams are going to do that, and we have to be ready. I’m just happy we found a way to win. There’s a lot to learn from the second half.”

After two straight losses to open the EuroCup, Sabonis said the first-half performance was especially important, not just for the win but for showing the team can actually score. London shot 14-of-16 on two-pointers (87.5%) and 8-of-13 from deep (61.5%) for 55 first-half points.

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Coming into the game, London had the worst offense in the EuroCup, ranked 20th in points (66.0 ppg), PIR (59.5), and two-point percentage (46.3%), as well as 19th in assists (14.0 apg) and 15th in three-point percentage (29.5%).

“The guys can believe now – believe in what we do and what the coaching staff envisions. Now they can feel it,” said Sabonis.

Veteran forward [Deane Williams](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/deane-williams/014098/) said he and his teammates took the biggest lesson from their own performance.

“The statement was most importantly for ourselves, just to prove to ourselves that we’re capable of playing great basketball,” said Williams, who contributed 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench. “We had a conversation at halftime: we have no excuses now. This is the level we’re going to play at every single game.”

No game is going to be easy – not even closing one out with a 39-point lead.

Game News

Lions can learn a lot from both strong first half and rocky second half

After trailing for most of the game, the Reds caught fire late by scoring 14 of the game's last 15 points to edge Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 94-95 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade. All-EuroLeague forward Sasha Vezenkov made 3 key free throws with 42.2 seconds remaining and then the go-ahead bucket with 17.4 on the clock. 

Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos 'stole' victory from Maccabi

One after another, Olympiacos Piraeus's best players and head coach echoed the same concept. They were happy to win this game despite not necessarily deserving the victory.

After trailing for most of the game, the Reds caught fire late by scoring 14 of the game's last 15 points to edge Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 94-95 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade. All-EuroLeague forward Sasha Vezenkov made 3 key free throws with 42.2 seconds remaining and then the go-ahead bucket with 17.4 on the clock.

The drama was such that Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas later quipped: "it's not a game for people who have heart problems."

The Reds still had to stop Lonnie Walker on the game's final possession and when he missed a tough would-be game winner, Olympiacos was able to celebrate its sixth consecutive victory over the Israeli side.

Celebrate, however, may be an overstatement as Vezenkov was quick to criticize his team in the post-game interview.

"We played terrible difference. They scored 94 points. We have a lot to improve. This win would be like a lie to us," the former MVP said before turning to the positives. "We made a great comeback the last 4 minutes, we found the right solutions, we played a little bit better defense. And as I said, it's better to learn by winning and not by losing."

Vezenkov finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in five games this season. He made 6 of 7 two-pointers and was joined by co-star Nikola Milutinov in making sure Olympiacos dominated the paint. The center scored 23 on 8-of-9 shooting. Combined they helped the Reds make a whopping 74.3% of their two-point attempts.

Like Vezenkov, Milutinov made it clear that Olympiacos won a game that it didn't necessarily deserve to win.

"Let's be honest. We stole this game tonight. If Maccabi won, it will be completely deserved for them. We were not good, especially in defense, it's really bad how we played defensively. Receiving more than 90 points is too much, and we have to improve the part of our game," Milutinov said.  "We have to fix it as soon as possible if we want to be contenders this year."

To be fair, Olympiacos did improve its defense late. The Reds closely contested most of their opponents' shots in the closing minutes when Maccabi missed 6 in a row.

Coach Georgios Bartzokas was so frustrated with his team's defensive effort that he walked out of a timeout in the fourth quarter. At the post-game press conference, he was able to put into perspective the situation his team is in with Thomas Walkup, Shaq McKissic and Evan Fournier all sidelined by injury.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another game. Another <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bwinMVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bwinMVP</a> performance. 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/SashaVezenkov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SashaVezenkov</a> 💪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://t.co/4gPprwe6i6">pic.twitter.com/4gPprwe6i6</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1978940129130524751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"We miss our defensive stoppers. You know, just to be tougher on defense, because, as you see, the talent in offense we have. It's obvious that we could score 30 points to the last quarter, but we need to be tougher on defense. And I hope that with the players coming back, we're going to be … way better."

Maybe taking Bartzokas's final words into context, Olympiacos didn't exactly "steal" a victory as much as they showed character to battle for all 40 minutes and showed off their talent to come through late. In addition to Vezenkov and Milutinov, Tyler Dorsey stood out with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Tyson Ward dished a career-best 8 dimes.

An easier stretch is around the corner for Olympiacos. After travelling to face FC Bayern Munich next week, the Reds play four consecutive home games between Rounds 7 and 10. If they are about to truly get "way better" on the court, it's a great time to be an Olympiacos fan.

The Reds finished the game on a tear to win after trailing for most of the night

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-FC Bayern Munich | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v FC Bayern Munich (2025-10-16T17:45:00.000Z)

One must have wondered if the wheels had come off at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul as the defending EuroLeague champs looked all at sea in the first quarter against FC Bayern Munich. In the end, however, they managed to get their act together.

Fenerbahce bounces back with big win over Bayern to get on track

One must have wondered if the wheels had come off at [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) as the defending EuroLeague champs looked all at sea in the first quarter against [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/). In the end, however, they managed to get their act together.

Having lost three in a row after the opening 96-77 win over Paris Basketball, including an embarrassing 69-93 home mauling by newcomers Dubai Basketball in Round 4, Fenerbahce showed some character to turn the tide in an 88-73 defeat of Bayern.

It was welcome respite for coach Sarunas Jasikevicius too, with club president Sadettin Saran keen to extend the Lithuanian tactician’s contract expiring at the end of the season. In his post-game comments, Jasekivicius acknowledged that Fenerbahce’s first priority was to find some consistency before becoming an entertaining outfit again.

“We tried to do too much in the first quarter and we have to understand that we can’t win playing pretty basketball at the moment,” he said. “We need to dig a little bit deeper, get some stops and somehow find some rhythm on offense. It will take time, we need our injured players back and the new arrivals to understand how we play.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Maç Bizim! 💪<br><br>Tebrikler Fenerbahçe Beko! 👏<br><br>Maç Sonucu | Fenerbahçe Beko 🆚 Bayern Münih: 88-73<br><br>Skor dağılımımız: Jantunen 15, Wilbekin 14, Baldwin 13, Hall 10, Zagars 8, Colson 7, Biberovic 6, Metecan 6, Melli 4, Melih 3, Onuralp 2. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/VXnxF5ae1K">pic.twitter.com/VXnxF5ae1K</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1978909691943030934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The normally noisy Istanbul crowd looked completely subdued as Bayern raced into a 14-20 lead before [Scottie Wilbekin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/scottie-wilbekin/006661/), making a gradual comeback from a serious knee injury which had sidelined him for a year, got Fenerbahce going with a couple of trademark long range efforts.

Wilbekin finished on 14 points and [Mikael Jantunen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mikael-jantunen/012613/) paced Fenerbahce on a game-high 15, having sank 5-of-6 shots from downtown. However, the player of the game accolade went to [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/), who racked up 13 points, 3 boards and as many assists.

Fenerbahce committed a staggering 9 turnovers in the first quarter but kept the damage down to a total of 16, having nailed 13-of-27 long-range efforts as the hosts conjured a decisive 17-1 run in the second half to grab an unassailable 70-46 lead early in the fourth quarter.

“It was very important to treat this game like a final when a team like this loses three in a row at any point in the season, especially at the beginning,” said Baldwin. “Teams have been more energetic and more physical than us, so we wanted to turn that around today. We’re a dangerous team when those shots go in, today was a good day and we’ll be ready for the next one.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Kocaman bir aile. 💛💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/wFeCDvTO05">pic.twitter.com/wFeCDvTO05</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1978910692410261919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wilbekin, who made a long awaited EuroLeague return in the drubbing by Dubai when he scored 7 points in a lackluster team effort, seems to have rediscovered his mojo as he sank 4-of-8 shots from downtown and was instrumental at both ends of the court against Bayern.

The guard netted 14 points in just 15 minutes on the court, providing the spark on offense so painfully missing in Fenerbahce’s previous three outings, while he also marshalled the troops on defense to stifle out Bayern’s sharpshooters.

“We really wanted to come out and respond after the last game and I think we did,” said Wilbekin. “We were physical, we put in the effort and grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds.”

With both teams on a 2-3 record, Bayern head coach Gordon Herbert acknowledged that his men fell short on offense. “We really struggled on the offensive after a good first quarter,” he said. “They started making some threes in the third quarter and that was it.”  

Following three successive defeats, the champs closed shop on defense to overcome a stuttering start against the German side

Jaylen Hoard goes right at Nikola Milutinov and dunks with authority.


Hoard puts Milutinov on a poster! Motorola Magic Moment

Jaylen Hoard goes right at Nikola Milutinov and dunks with authority.

Things were not looking good for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, which arrived at Zalgirio Arena without three injured starters, but it rallied to come away with an impressive 78-89 win at Zalgiris Kaunas.

Quinn Ellis, Pippo Ricci make Milan forget injuries in Kaunas

Things were not looking good for [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/), which arrived at Zalgirio Arena without three injured starters: [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/), [Josh Nebo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/josh-nebo/011199/) and [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/). Milan was coming off a tough road loss against FC Bayern Munich just 18 hours earlier, in which coach Ettore Messina’s team was held to just 53 points.

On Thursday evening, [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/) forward [Arnas Butkevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arnas-butkevicius/002676/) came off the bench to score 17 points in six minutes, single-handedly giving his team a 29–13 lead early in the second quarter.

Most teams would have given up, but Milan chose not to. With some players seeing extended minutes due to the circumstances, Milan rallied to celebrate a 78-89 victory.

Zalgiris Kaunas-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

“I think the defense was very good throughout, and it grew in the second, third, and fourth quarters. Offensively, we were calm – I think that was important. We were very nervous at the beginning,” Coach Messina said after the game.

“We didn’t play a good game two days ago. That’s another example that, especially with this year’s schedule, you have to make an effort to move on from both good and bad performances.”

Milan’s comeback started with a 0–12 run in which four different players hit from downtown: [Nico Mannion](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/niccolo-mannion/011064/), [Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/), [Marko Guduric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/) and [Pippo Ricci](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/giampaolo-ricci/001518/), who was unstoppable from beyond the arc.

Ricci finished with a career-high 15 points, hitting 5 of 5 three-pointers. Coming into the game, he had been 2 of 7 from deep (28.6%) for the season, averaging less than 9 minutes over the first four games.

This time, he played 27 minutes and was instrumental in keeping Butkevicius scoreless in the second half.

Giampaolo Ricci buried all of his 5 three-point attempts to his way to 15 points, a new career-high! EA7 Emporio Armani Milan beat Zalgiris kaunas 78-89. 

Ricci shoots the light out in Kaunas 

[Quinn Ellis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/quinn-ellis/012593/) was Milan’s decisive player down the stretch. He scored 9 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a jumper and a three-pointer to extend Milan’s lead to 64–70.

Ellis then found space for a wide-open layup, and Ricci knocked down a pair of crucial threes – the last of which sealed the outcome, 70–82, in the next-to-last minute.

Ellis had averaged just 2.5 points on 3-of-15 shooting (20.0%) and a PIR of 1.3 over his first four EuroLeague games with Milan.

In Kaunas, however, he made 7 of 9 shots for 15 points, adding 3 assists for a PIR of 18. After the game, Ellis credited his team’s defense for stepping up when it mattered most.

“I think we really, really turned it up in the second half on the defensive end with our aggressiveness. We got stops, and then the offense became easier with less pressure,” Ellis said, referring to the loss in Munich.

“We put that game behind us. We played again just two days later and are happy to get the win on the road, which is always important. Now we go back home next week and hopefully continue our streak.”

Quinn Ellis had 9 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead EA7 Emporio Arrmani Milan to a 78-89 road win over Zalgiris Kaunas. 

Ellis leads Milan past Zalgiris

A balanced offense helped Milan get the win, with six players scoring in double digits – led by Ellis, Ricci, Shields and [Devin Booker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/devin-booker/007056/), each with 15 points.

After giving up 16 offensive rebounds over the first three quarters, Milan limited Zalgiris to just one in the final 10 minutes.

Milan also got a bit of sports revenge for a painful loss almost exactly one year ago. On October 17, 2024, Zalgiris beat Milan 82-85 despite trailing 64-37 with under 14 minutes left.

This time Milan produced a 27-point swing, turning a 16-point deficit into a double-digit road win that snapped a three-game losing streak.

Both players had career-high efforts against Zalgiris, making the most of their extended playing time in an impressive road victory

Zalgiris Kaunas v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2025-10-16T17:00:00.000Z)

Dubai Basketball-FC Barcelona | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Dubai Basketball v FC Barcelona (2025-10-16T16:00:00.000Z)

Donta Hall takes the feed from Tyler Dorsey and proceeds to rock the rim.

Donta Hall dunks with authority! Motorola Magic Moment

Lonnie Walker ends the first half in style with a tough mid-range jumper.

Lonnie ends the half in style! Motorola Magic Moment

Donta Hall tees up Saben Lee for a vicious slam.

Saben Lee throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment

Zalgiris Kaunas is renowned for its deep basketball heritage, having seen some of Europe’s greatest players wear its iconic green jersey. But it’s safe to say that few moments – if any – have matched the fiery burst Arnas Butkevicius delivered against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 5 of the EuroLeague Regular Season.

A first half Arnas Butkevicius (and Zalgiris fans) won't forget in a hurry

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/) is renowned for its deep basketball heritage, having seen some of Europe’s greatest players wear its iconic green jersey. But it’s safe to say that few moments – if any – have matched the fiery burst [Arnas Butkevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arnas-butkevicius/002676/) delivered against [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/) in Round 5 of the EuroLeague Regular Season.

Both teams got off to a slow start, with Zalgiris leading 11-9 after seven minutes. That’s when Butkevicius decided to take over, exploding in a way rarely seen before.

He started his run with a wide-open three-pointer from the left wing, then followed it up with another from the top of the key. As the first quarter wound down, Milan had possession, but Butkevicius came up with a steal and drained a running triple at the buzzer.

The crowd erupted, and just like that Zalgiris was up 21–13.

But Butkevicius was just getting started.

Arnas Butkevicius of Zalgiris Kaunas went completely on fire against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. 

Arnas Butkevicius: 17 points in 6 minutes! 

Brimming with confidence, Butkevicius nailed a step-back, catch-and-shoot three from the left corner. Then came a fast-break dunk off another steal. Moments later, he brought the arena to its feet again with a deep three from the EuroLeague logo, beating the shot clock.

When he finally went to the bench, Zalgirio Arena gave him one of the loudest ovations in its history. And he wasn’t done – upon returning to the game, Butkevicius nailed his sixth three-pointer without a single miss.

Before this season, Butkevicius was a 34.6% career shooter from beyond the arc (66 of 191). But he has started this campaign red-hot, knocking down 11 of his first 14 three-point attempts (78.6% 3FG).

He reached halftime with 20 points –  just shy of Zalgiris's first-half record, shared by [Keenan Evans](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/keenan-evans/011218/) and [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/), who had 21 points apiece before halftime against FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, respectively.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In the first half, Arnas Butkevicius was simply on fire – 26 EFF! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/LgT9Jaq5Vp">pic.twitter.com/LgT9Jaq5Vp</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1978887749953368555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

His teammates, meanwhile, struggled from long range, combining to hit just 1-of-11 threes before the break.

In the second half, Butkevicius cooled off and didn’t score again. Milan adjusted defensively, denying him clean looks and eventually pulling away for a 78-89 win.

But years from now, only the die-hard fans will remember that Zalgiris lost that game.

What will live on is the memory of a six-minute stretch in which Arnas Butkevicius lit up Zalgirio Arena with 17 points and delivered one of the most electrifying performances Kaunas has ever seen.

Despite his team's home loss, the 32-year-old forward had a shooting night for the ages

Wenyen Gabriel flushes it down after he was teed up by Kamar Baldwin. The big man is on fire!


Gabriel with a fine alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment

Wenyen Gabriel flushes it down after he was teed up by Kamar Baldwin. The big man is on fire!

Wenyen Gabriel comes flying in from nowhere to reject Khem Birch!

What a block by Gabriel! Motorola Magic Moment

Dubai Basketball seemed to have a clear game plan for its Round 5 tussle with co-leader FC Barcelona on Thursday evening: pound the ball inside, establish dominance of the paint, and then set up the long-range shooters later on. Big men Filip Petrusev and Mfiondu Kabengele shined particularly bright on the night.

Inside dominance of Petrusev, Kabengele gives Dubai famous win over Barcelona

[Dubai Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/dubai-basketball/dub/) seemed to have a clear game plan for its Round 5 tussle with co-leader [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) on Thursday evening: pound the ball inside, establish dominance of the paint, and then set up the long-range shooters later on.

And it worked. Jurica Golemac’s team did not even attempt a three-point shot until more than six minutes had been played, with its opening seven field-goal attempts all coming inside the arc. Big men [Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) and [Mfiondu Kabengele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mfiondu-kabengele/012796/) shined during those early stages, helping the team race into a double-digit lead by combining for 13 of its first 18 points.

Dubai’s first triple of the night finally arrived when [McKinley Wright IV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mckinley-wright-iv/012606/) drained a deep strike in the last minute of the first half, by which time the host had already made 12 two-point conversions.

It was a similar story in the third quarter, with Petrusev continuing to excel as he netted 12 points in the period and Dwayne Bacon’s aggressive drives to the basket adding another dimension to the home team’s inside game.

Dubai’s outside threat had been minimal, but that suddenly changed when [Davis Bertans](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/davis-bertans/003458/) belatedly became a force by netting two triples in just 70 seconds, having previously missed all four of his long-range attempts, and [Klemen Prepelic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/klemen-prepelic/002661/) also stepped up to string his first points of the night with another deep strike.

Those scores were enough to take Dubai close to victory, but it was highly fitting that the deal was sealed much closer to the rim with a series of big buckets in the last few possessions: first Bacon again forced his way to the basket to add another layup, then Petrusev added a smooth jumper, before Bacon finally took the game out of Barcelona’s reach with a breakaway score.

The success of Golemac’s men inside the paint was not limited to offense, because Dubai also dominated at the other end of the court as Barcelona struggled all night for inside penetration. The visitors finished with just 16 two-point shots converted on 43 attempts (37.2% 2FG), while Dubai also comfortably won the rebounding battle 46-39 and made no less than 5 blocked shots – including a stunner by Justin Anderson on his former teammate Kevin Punter in the last 90 seconds.

<center>
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The numbers at the end of the game told their own story: Petrusev led all scorers with 23 points on 5-of-9 two-point shooting plus all 7 of his free-throw attempts; Bacon followed close behind with 20 points on 8-of-10 two-point shooting, and Kabengele contributed big time with a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.

That physical effort was even more impressive considering the team’s exertions in Istanbul just two days previously, followed by the long journey home. And that point was not lost on victorious Coach Golemac, who told EuroLeague TV: “After this road trip, with this schedule that is really tight, we managed to find this energy.

“It’s our job. Tomorrow we’re going to recover, the day after we’ve got practice, and in three days we’ve got a game \[in the ABA League\]. We’ll try to recover as much as we can and not to think about that.”

There's no denying Dubai’s focus was crystal clear on Thursday night, and perhaps the post-game recovery can even include a short amount of time for celebrations after a famous week.

The duo set the tone early en route to an impressive win, the team's second in succession

Justin Anderson denies his former teammate Kevin Punter with a fierce block!