Flamengo failed to secure its fifth consecutive victory in the 2009-2010 New Basketball Brazil season. Coming off a tough match against Minas Gerais, and without two starters (Helio and Coloneze), coach Paulo Chupeta's team took the lead but was unable to withstand the might of leader Brasília this Sunday at the HSBC Arena. With the result, the team from the federal capital maintained its lead, with 12 wins in 13 games. Flamengo dropped to fourth place, with eight wins in 12 matches.

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"We had a game of ups and downs, and they took advantage of that in the third quarter when we were having a bad spell. Unfortunately, during a period of growth like this, we lost two key players, Hélio and Coloneze. The strain was also immense because of Friday's match. Besides the extra time, it was a long and tiring trip, so we didn't even have time to train yesterday. We came off a very tough marathon of matches, and the team ended up feeling a bit tired in the second half," said Paulo Chupeta after the match, speaking through Flamengo's press office.

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Point guard Duda agrees with the Flamengo manager. According to him, the team performed well in the opening minutes but failed to replicate that in the second half, especially when it came to defensive positioning, which has always been a strong point for the Flamengo team.

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"We had a good first half, but we didn't have the same attitude in the third quarter. They played a very strong defense while we couldn't get our defense, which is our main asset, into gear. As a result, we didn't launch the counterattacks we're used to, and we ended up with a predictable game."

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Helium - Point guard Helio ended up being a last-minute loss to the team that faced Brasília. The number 5 felt discomfort in the sole of his right foot and was ruled out by the coaching staff due to suspected rupture. Physiotherapist Ricardo Machado revealed that the player also suffered from pain last Friday, but that despite this, he is not expected to miss the team's match against Paulistano next Tuesday.

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"He felt it in Friday's game against Minas and felt pain again during the warm-up today. We'll do an MRI tomorrow to find out if the injury is completely ruptured or if it's just partial. But it's not a serious injury and if the pain subsides, it shouldn't be a problem for Tuesday," explained the physiotherapist.