Cluj is the destiny of Buducnost - the "blue and white" know their playoff rival after another defeat against Dubai

The round before the end of the league season is all known. The Buducnost Voli basketball team, from fourth place, behind three Euroleague teams, enters the Admiralbet ABA League playoffs, and their first rival will be Cluj - the team that crushed the "blue and whites" European dreams this season.

All this is known after the Montenegrin champion was defeated by Dubai in Sarajevo's "Zetra" - 89:78. The Montenegrin champion now has one more defeat than the third-placed Red Star, and the Belgrade club is more successful in the head-to-head.

When only Euroleague teams are ahead, then fourth place is in a way expected - for anything more in the playoffs, Buducnost will need performances like the one against Partizan recently in "Morača", when they also achieved their only victory this season against teams from the European elite.

To begin with, Andrej Žakelj's men will have to "repay their debts" to Cluj, and just like in the Eurocup, they will now have home court advantage.

The first half was a series of games for both teams. The "blue and white" started poorly defending their rivals' three-point shots, so Dubai went from a 12:0 lead at the end of the first and the beginning of the second to a 31:20 lead.

Buducnost's response followed, and the Montenegrin champion's series was started by Đorđije Jovanović with five consecutive points, and concluded with a three-pointer by Rašid Sulajmon for 32:31. Dubai was without a basket for almost five minutes at that moment.

When it seemed that Andrej Žakelj's team had found the right rhythm, Džanan Musa put an end to Dubai's new 14:0 run with two points, for the largest lead to date (47:34).

Podgorica's team went into the break with a manageable 47:40 lead thanks to a three-pointer by Jogi Ferrell, but Dubai quickly created a new biggest lead - three-pointers by Mifiondu Kabengele and Musa, as well as two free throws by Aleksa Avramović, took the formal host to 68:50.

It was plus 21 (73:52), and Buducnost only managed to reduce the big lead to 87:76 in the final minutes.

Before the play-off matches with Budućnost and Cluj will also meet at the end of the league season in "Morača" - in a match that will not have any significance in terms of the result.

DUBAI - FUTURE 89:78 (29:20, 18:20, 26:17, 16:21)

Sarajevo - Olympic Hall "Zetra". Attendance: 3.141. Referees: Nedović (Slovenia), Kardum (Croatia), Juras (Serbia).

Dubai: Avramović 6 (2-2), Abas 10 (3-2), Prepelič 7 (4-4), Bertans 4 (1-1), ANDERSON 12 (1-1), Kondić 3, MUSA 15 (4-4), KABENGELE 16 (7-5), WRIGHT 4 (2-1), PETRUSEV 8 (3-2), Kamenjaš 4, Kaboklo.

Buducnost: SULAJMON 10 (4-3), Maggi 5, Mace 3, Thompson, Slavkovic, TANASKOVIC (5-3) 13, FEREL 20 (4-4), Jovanovic 12 (2-2), BUTSIJEL 6, Nikolic 2 (2-0), Kovljar 2, BUTEJ 5 (1-1).