After qualifying for the Final Four of the League of the Americas last Sunday (28), the red-black basketball team returned to action for the New Basketball Brazil (NBB), on Friday night (4). The Pride of the Nation beat Pinheiros 81 to 75, in a duel marked by great emotion. Flamengo's collective play, once again, made the difference in the game. Marquinhos was the top scorer for Mais Querido, with 17 points, and three other athletes finished the game with double digits in scoring. Jason Robinson and captain Marcelinho Machado scored 13 each and Rafael Mineiro, ten.

In the first quarter of the duel, Flamengo already imposed its rhythm of play and, in the opening minutes, the red-black advantage was already 13 points: 24 to 11. In the second period, without decreasing the intensity, Mais Querido continued to completely dominate the match and went to halftime winning by 42 to 29.

The third quarter saw the home team begin to rally, but coach José Neto's men still managed to hold on for a partial victory: 63-58. In the final quarter, Flamengo had to remain calm. With their opponent's comeback in full swing, the final ten minutes were a close battle. With captain Marcelinho's decisive performance, the Pride of the Nation didn't back down and secured the victory: 81-75.

Flamengo remains at the top of the Novo Basquete Brasil league with just four losses in 22 matches played. With an 81.1% success rate, the Mais Querido is getting closer and closer to confirming the first position in the classification phase. FlaBasquete's next game will be this Sunday (06), against Caxias do Sul, at 11 am, at the Vasco da Gama gym.

The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo adult basketball team relies on direct funding from its sponsors – SKY and Estácio – in addition to investments from Tim via the State Sports Incentive Law/State Secretariat for Sports, Leisure and Youth (ICMS).