Flamengo beat União Corinthians, NBB title race stays tight | OneFootball

Playing at Maracanãzinho, Flamengo wins another one in the NBB

After a break in the NBB for two rounds of the Basketball Champions League Americas, Flamengo returned to the court for the national competition in great style. This Thursday (18th), at Maracanãzinho, the Pride of the Nation defeated União Corinthians by 82 to 65.

Thus, the battle for the NBB leadership remains intense, with Flamengo, Pinheiros, and Minas all having the same record: 13 wins and two losses in 15 games. It's worth noting that securing first place is important for the team to always have home-court advantage in the playoffs.

HOW WAS THE GAME?

With Flamengo fighting for the top spot, and União Corinthians in the middle of the table, the expectation was that the Pride of the Nation would have no trouble playing at home. However, that’s not what happened. There was a lot of balance in the first quarter, with the red-and-black team leading by three points (20 to 17).

In the second quarter, with a great performance from Gui Deodato, Flamengo closed it out at 23 to 20. In other words, the teams went into halftime with a six-point difference (43 to 37). However, in the third period, Flamengo experienced their worst moment of the match.

After opening up a ten-point lead, Flamengo lost momentum and fell behind. The Rubro-Negro rushed too much in attack, scored only 13 points, and saw the visitors score 20. Thus, the third period ended 57 to 56 for the team from Rio Grande do Sul.

Needing a comeback at all costs, Flamengo started the last quarter ‘on fire’. Johnson and Baralle hit two consecutive three-pointers, turning the game around for Mengão. Then, the Most Beloved regained control of the match and didn’t face any more scares, managing to open up a comfortable lead.

WHEN IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT GAME IN THE NBB?

Flamengo won’t have much time to rest. After all, the team plays again next Sunday (21st), against Cruzeiro, in Belo Horizonte. Tip-off is at 11 a.m. (Brasília time), with broadcast by FlamengoTV on YouTube.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.