Nobody really expected this two years ago. Dubai Basketball, a club that barely existed before, are now 40 minutes away from winning the ABA League title. They beat Partizan twice in Dubai and now fly to Belgrade with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Finals series. Win Game 3 on June 10, and the trophy is theirs.
That’s the situation. And it’s a pretty wild one.
How Dubai Got Here
Their playoff run has been impressive from start to finish. After knocking out Budućnost VOLI in the semifinals, Dubai came into the Finals as a team that believed they could win — and they’ve backed that up with results.
Game 1 at Coca-Cola Arena ended 99-93 in front of close to 9,500 fans. That crowd, that atmosphere — it clearly meant something to the players. Then came Game 2, another tight one, 86-81. Not easy wins. Hard-fought ones.
Two games, two wins. The series now belongs to Dubai Basketball to either win or lose.
The Crowds Were Something Else
It’s worth pausing on what happened in Dubai during those two home games. The atmosphere inside the arena was unlike anything the club has seen before. For a team that spent part of this season playing home games in Bosnia and Herzegovina, finally being back in Dubai for the biggest matches in franchise history added an extra layer of emotion.
The fans showed up. They were loud. And they helped.
Now that support is gone — at least for Game 3. Belgrade Arena will be full of Partizan supporters who very much want their team to fight back.
What Game 3 Looks Like
Partizan are the defending champions. They know what it takes to win this competition. Going down 2-0 hurts, but they’re not done — and they’ll have their crowd behind them in a way Dubai simply won’t.
For Partizan, the task is clear: win, cut the deficit to 2-1, and force a Game 4 back in Dubai. For Dubai, it’s equally simple: win once more, end it here, and go home with the title.
The pressure sits heavier on Partizan right now. Lose Game 3 and the season is over. That kind of desperation can sometimes bring out the best in a team — which is exactly why Dubai will need to be sharp.
Players Who Matter
Dubai’s offense has been hard to stop throughout this series. Aleksa Avramović has been sharp. Džanan Musa has delivered when it counted. And Mfiondu Kabengele has been a force — physical, active, and difficult to contain on both ends.
What makes this team tricky is that no single player carries everything. Different guys step up at different times, which makes game-planning against them complicated.
Partizan will need to find a way to slow Dubai’s rhythm, something they haven’t managed to do across two full games yet.
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What It Would Mean
Winning an ABA League title in your second season as a club is, simply put, extraordinary. Dubai Basketball didn’t take years to build toward this. They moved fast, built a competitive roster, and have put themselves in position to do something that very few teams get to do.
Beyond the club itself, a championship here would be a genuine milestone for basketball in the UAE and the wider region. It would put Dubai on the map in a sport that’s growing quickly in that part of the world.
They’re one win away from all of that.
Game 3 Snapshot
| Match | Dubai Basketball vs Partizan Mozzart Bet |
| Series | Dubai lead 2-0 (Best-of-five) |
| Game | Game 3 |
| Venue | Belgrade Arena, Serbia |
| Date | June 10 |
| What’s at stake | Dubai Basketball can clinch their first-ever ABA League title |
Belgrade on June 10. One game. Everything on the line.