In wild game, Flamengo sink Cruzeiro and ease crisis | OneFootball

After four straight losses, Flamengo got back to winning in the NBB

At last, Flamengo won again in the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). After four consecutive negative results, Mengão beat Cruzeiro 90-84 at Maracanãzinho. The matchup took place in the third-to-last round of the competition’s regular season and featured an almost unbelievable comeback in the third quarter.

With the result, Flamengo remains in fifth place, with 26 wins and ten losses. In the two remaining rounds, Mengão can still climb as high as third place, but also needs to be careful not to drop to sixth. It is important to finish as high as possible to have more home games in the playoffs.

HOW DID THE GAME GO?

Flamengo took the court carrying the weight of losses to Brasília, União Corinthians, Caxias do Sul, and Minas. Despite the pressure, Sergio ‘Oveja’ Hernández’s team had one of its best first quarters of the season. With a lively offense and solid defense, the Pride of the Nation opened up a 34-15 lead.

Still playing at a fast pace, Flamengo kept up the strong offensive performance but looked shakier on defense. Even so, Mengão managed to extend the lead, winning the quarter 29-23. As a result, the teams went into the locker room with the Most Beloved in front: 63-38. In other words, the win was basically secured, right? Wrong.

In an unbelievable stretch, Flamengo was thoroughly outplayed in the third period. The ball simply would not drop for the Rubro-Negro side, while Cruzeiro could do no wrong at the other end. As a result, the team from Minas won the quarter 25-8, bringing the drama into the fourth and final period. That meant Mengo held an eight-point lead (71-63).

The fourth period continued with Flamengo’s alarming collapse, and Cruzeiro took advantage. With three minutes left in the game, Mengão led by five points (82-77). Then Rubro-Negro point guard Alex Negrete stepped up in the closing moments and ended the visitors’ comeback hopes. With decisive plays, the Argentine settled the game and secured the win for Mengão.

WHEN IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT NBB GAME?

Flamengo will close out the NBB first phase with two classics, against Botafogo and Vasco. The first will be against the team from General Severiano on Saturday (11), starting at 6 p.m. Brasília time, with the rival as the home team. The game will take place at Ginásio Oscar Zelaya and will be broadcast on FlamengoTV on YouTube.

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