SuperSport Premier League: Cibona beats Dinamo in city derby

Dinamo opened the first ten minutes with two three-pointers by Hunt. Defensively, they looked very solid, controlled the rebounds, and stayed in front throughout the quarter. After a basket by Paponja, Dinamo led 21:14. Cibona responded with two three-pointers of their own to cut the deficit to 21:19. Before the end of the quarter, Paponja managed to score at the buzzer, giving Dinamo a 27:22 lead after the opening period.

The second quarter began poorly for Dinamo with two technical fouls, which Cibona capitalized on, tying the game at 27:27 after a three-pointer by Radovčić. From that point on, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle. Two minutes before halftime, following free throws by Kraljević, Dinamo pulled ahead 43:37. Hunt then knocked down another three-pointer for 46:40, but Cibona answered through Katanović to make it 46:42. Before the break, Serdarušić scored to set the halftime score at 49:44.

Cibona opened the second half with an 8:0 run and took the lead for the first time in the game, 52:49. Dinamo responded through Jacović to cut it to 52:51, but Cibona, once again led by Radovčić, extended the lead to 57:51, prompting Mulaomerović to call a timeout. After the timeout, Dinamo fell into a series of mistakes, which Cibona used to build a 62:54 advantage. Following a basket by Hepa, Cibona reached a double-digit lead for the first time, 68:56, with a minute and a half remaining in the quarter. By the end of the third period, Cibona had increased the margin to 71:58 heading into the final ten minutes.

Dinamo started the last quarter with a 5:2 run, reducing the score to 63:75. However, they continued to struggle offensively and were unable to string together quality possessions. Cibona gradually maintained the lead they had built in the third quarter and never allowed Dinamo to get close. With a basket by Radovčić — who proved unsolvable for Dinamo throughout the game — Cibona extended the lead to 81:64, and Dinamo no longer had the strength for a comeback. Cibona comfortably closed out the game and ultimately won 85:67.

Statistics can be found HERE.