Dubai’s dynamic duo totalled 44 points to inspire a solid home victory
Bacon hails Wright as MVP-in-waiting after combining to down Milan
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 18 of 38
Regular Season
Dubai BasketballDUB
9992
EA7 Emporio Armani MilanEA7
Overview
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Is McKinley Wright the EuroLeague monthly MVP for December in waiting?
Dwayne Bacon certainly thinks so, after watching his Dubai Basketball teammate maintain his outstanding form by spearheading a solid 99-90 victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Tuesday evening.
Wright compiled a PIR of 30 after spending more than 32 minutes on the floor, scoring 19 points on 5-of-8 two-point shooting and making 10 of his 11 free throws. He also dished 9 assists, grabbed 4 rebounds and snared 2 steals in an all-action performance.
Those numbers ensured that Wright played a big part in allowing Dubai to lead from start to the finish, especially in the fourth quarter as he netted 11 points to hold off Milan’s numerous attempts to take the lead for the first time.
That marked a continuation of a superb run of form by the EuroLeague rookie, who has now averaged 19 points, 9.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals for a stellar PIR of 29.8 over the course of December’s five games, which have seen Dubai solidify its position in the middle of the standings by compiling a 3-2 record with wins over Anadolu Efes Istanbul, FC Bayern Munich and now Milan.
And Bacon believes that those numbers are deserving of individual glory for the 27-year-old Wright, who has stepped up seamlessly to the EuroLeague after catching the eye during two impressive seasons in the EuroCup with Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.
“We played together, and we got an MVP point guard of the month in McKinley Wright,” Bacon told EuroLeague TV. “He should win MVP point guard of the month. He’s been playing great this whole month. It took him a minute [at the start of the season] to find his way, but once he got in he’s been playing great this entire month, phenomenal.”
Monthly MVP selections tend to come from teams that have won the most games, so Dubai’s dropped games against Virtus Bologna and Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv might mean that Wright is left unrewarded for his heroics, but more importantly, he has certainly set them on a good path to challenge for a playoff position in the second half of the regular season.
The victory was Dubai’s seventh on its home court so far this season, with its 7-2 record better than every team in the league other than Spanish pair Real Madrid and Valencia (both 7-1 at home). And Wright revealed that staying strong in the Coca-Cola Arena was a specific motivation for Jurica Golemac’s men as they headed into the game.
“We knew we needed it, we lost the last one at home, so we needed to protect the home court,” he said. “Coach told us we couldn’t lose any more at home and we were all on the same page. As long as we execute the game plan and play defense, we can win a lot of games.”
Wright’s main accomplice in the victory was Bacon, who marked his second appearance since returning from injury by pouring in 25 points – with 20 of those coming during a first half that saw Dubai set the tone for the rest of the game by grabbing a series of double-digit leads.
Bacon also grabbed 8 rebounds to help underline Dubai’s physical commitment and solid organisation, and the former Monaco and Panathinaikos star praised the collective ethic, which he believes could take the team a long way this season.
“Everybody just trusted each other and played together. Hopefully, we can stay on this winning streak. It’s a very tough league, so we want to take it one game at a time, one practice at a time, trust in each other, have each other’s back and the sky’s the limit.”
With Wright and Bacon side by side, Dubai certainly will not be an easy team to beat.
