Zadar wins at Dražen Petrović Basketball hall and take a 2–1 lead in the play-off finals

In Game 3 of the championship play-off finals, Cibona hosted Zadar at Dražen Petrović Basketball hall, where the visitors claimed a 87–70 victory and take a 2–1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Cibona head coach Ivan Rudež started the game with Palokaj, Lončar, Skorić, Šiško, and Roberson, while Zadar coach Danijel Jusup sent out Mihailović, Tišma, Žganec, Mazalin, and Ramljak.

Cibona enjoyed the better start and held the lead during the opening minutes, but Zadar soon took control and closed the first quarter ahead 19–9.

During the second period, the Wolves gradually fought their way back into the game and cut the deficit on several occasions. Despite the home side’s improved response, Zadar went into halftime with a 43–38 advantage.

Cibona opened the second half strongly and briefly regained the lead twice (46–45 and 48–47). However, Zadar found a way to swing the momentum back in its favor late in the third quarter and entered the final ten minutes leading 65–59.

The Wolves once again managed to close the gap early in the fourth quarter, but the visitors ultimately secured the win.

Roberson led Cibona with 17 points, while Mihailović paced Zadar with 25.

Danijel Jusup, Zadar head coach: "We knew it was going to be a tough game. Cibona is a very good team and they were playing in front of their home fans. However, we started the game well. We had one significant slump, but we managed to recover from it and secure an important victory. Before the game, we knew that taking care of the ball and controlling the boards would be crucial".

Adem Mekić, Zadar player: "As we expected, this was a difficult game on a tough court, the biggest derby in Croatian basketball. Even though we had a dip in the second quarter, we showed character, energy, and a willingness to fight for every ball. As our coach emphasizes before every game, rebounding and defense are what decide big games. This is the finals, and individual achievements are never put ahead of the team. It does not matter whether it is me today or someone else tomorrow—every game is a different story. Nothing is over yet, there is still a lot of basketball to be played, and we know what it takes to achieve success and a positive result".

Ivan Rudež, Cibona head coach: "First and foremost, congratulations to Zadar on the victory. Secondly, I would say that our offensive efficiency was not at the required level. We committed turnovers early and missed easy scoring opportunities, which Zadar capitalized on. I think we need to defend the pass much better than we did tonight because they are an excellent passing team. There is not a poor passer in any of their lineups, and that is no coincidence. Our hand activity and physical contact need to be even stronger. At the same time, I feel that the idea of tough, hard-nosed Balkan basketball is being undermined. I have always spoken about Zadar with great respect, but the amount of flopping that has been taking place from game to game is excessive. Players ended up on the floor 19 times. When we make a bump on the low post, it is called a foul on Mazalin. Many of those situations occurred away from the ball, and when contact is returned, it results in a double technical foul. I do not think that was appropriate. Once again, with all due respect to Zadar and the way they play, I believe the flopping has been excessive. On the other hand, some of our three-point attempts were rushed. We did not read the closeouts well enough. Perhaps we could have turned some of those shots into drives and extra passes, but we did not. I also want to say that our fans were truly spectacular tonight after such a long time. Thank you to everyone who came. Come again on Sunday and support our team in the final home game of the season. I believe we can get that win and send the series back to Zadar with tremendous energy, toughness, and quality basketball".

Kamaka Hepa, Cibona player: "It was a difficult game for us, but I think there are positives we can take from it. There were stretches in which we played the way we want to play, but there are also areas we need to improve if we want to win on Sunday. First of all, we have to respond better to their physical style of play. Zadar is a big and strong team, and we need to find a way to match that toughness without getting into foul trouble. As a team, we also need to be more consistent in carrying out the game plan. We knew what they wanted to do and where they were most dangerous, but we did not defend the paint well enough. We allowed 40 points in the paint, and they shot 20-of-29 on two-point attempts from close range. That is an area where we simply have to be better. We knew it would be one of the keys to the game, but tonight we failed to execute what we had prepared. That is something we will work on and must improve before the next game. Right now, the most important thing is to focus on Sunday, analyze our mistakes, make the necessary adjustments, and take the court ready for another battle".

Statistics can be found HERE.

As part of the pregame program at the Dražen Petrović Basketball Center, awards were presented to the top performers of the 2025/26 SuperSport Premijer Liga season. Ivan Vučić of Kvarner was named the league MVP and Best Rebounder. Cibona’s Žan Mark Šiško received the Best Playmaker award, while John Michael Wright of Dubrava finished as the league’s leading scorer. Petar Dubelj of Dubrovnik was voted Best Player by the team captains, and Petar Babić of Samobor was named Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches.

Game 4 of the finals series will be played on Sunday at Dražen Petrović Basketball hall, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 P.M. Tickets are available through the CoreEvent platform and at the hall box office on game day from 5:00 P.M. The game will be broadcast live on MAXSport television.