Despite the loss, Dubai remain just one win away from clinching the championship title.
Dubai: Dubai Basketball suffered an 84–70 defeat to Partizan in Game 3 of the 2025/26 ABA League Finals on Wednesday night in Belgrade.
Despite the result, Dubai Basketball still leads the best-of-five Finals series 2–1 and remains just one win away from securing the first ABA League title in the club’s history.
After hosting the first two games at the Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai Basketball travelled to Serbia for Game 3.
The opening quarter proved decisive, as the home side made a strong start and built an early advantage.
Dubai Basketball found it difficult to establish an offensive rhythm in the opening quarter, managing just 10 points as Partizan took a 23–10 lead at the end of the first period.
Despite the early setback, the visitors continued to compete strongly throughout the game, showing resilience even while trailing for most of the evening.
Dubai made multiple attempts to reduce the gap, cutting the deficit to single digits on several occasions. However, Partizan responded with crucial baskets each time to stay in control and ultimately set up a Game 4.
“For sure, we need to think about the next game like it is the most important game of the season, which it is,” said Dubai coach Aleksander Sekulić.
“We are ready tactically, but we will also have to read what Partizan are going to do in front of their home crowd and on their home court,” he added.
“We are ready to adjust to certain things if needed. But most importantly, it will come down to controlling turnovers and playing team defence,” he said.
The Finals series now returns to Belgrade for Game 4 on Friday, 12 June, where Dubai Basketball will have another chance to secure the win needed to bring the ABA League trophy to Dubai and complete a historic season.
