This Friday, Flamengo faced the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center in the NBA preseason. This was the Gávea team's sixth match in the world's top basketball league—the fourth against the Florida team. On the court, the North American team won 109-76. Off the court, there was plenty to learn, a wealth of knowledge to share, and yet another historic experience representing Brazilian basketball!

Scott Machado's assists, Gabriel Jaú's solid drives, and Deodato's four three-pointers were Flamengo's highlights in the first half. After the break, the highlight was Scott's excellent steal, which led to a beautiful dunk by Jaú. Flamengo's defensive performance forced numerous turnovers. Gui Deodato led the way with 16 points.

Flamengo Highlights

Points - Deodato (16), Scott Machado (13)

Rebounds - Olivinha (9), Scott Machado (5) and Jaú (5)

Assists - Scott Machado (6)

Starting Quintet

Franco Balbi, Gui Deodato, Didi, Marko Filipovity and Gabriel Jaú

Coach: Gustavo De Conti

Importance of exchange

The exchange of experiences, made possible by the agreement between the two leagues, allows not only the technical development of athletes and coaches on the court, but also the training of team executives off the court. During this year's visit, Flamengo's media team visited the Orlando Magic's newly opened training center, extending the exchange of knowledge and experiences that had been taking place since pre-game talks.

"The opportunity to face the best players in the world and experience the training routine as if our team belonged to the NBA is very important for Flamengo. Every time we're here, we have the opportunity to learn in other areas. In 2018, for example, we participated in a Marketing workshop that had very rich content," said Marcelo Vido, the club's executive director of Olympic Sports. "Operating outside of Brazil allows Flamengo to reach fans who miss the club and also opens up the opportunity to showcase the strength of our brand in other markets," the executive added.

FIBA vs NBA Differences

The game consisted of four 12-minute quarters—in the American league, each quarter is two minutes longer than under FIBA ​​rules. Besides differences in counting team fouls and technical timeouts, the court and perimeter measurements also differ between the NBA and the International Federation's competitions. Under FIBA ​​rules, the courts measure 28m x 15m, while in the NBA, the court is 28,65m x 15,24m. Three-point shots are placed at a distance of 6,75m from the basket under FIBA ​​rules, and in the NBA, they are 7,28m.

All of Flamengo's clashes against NBA teams

Flamengo 88 x 100 Phoenix Suns – 2014

Flamengo 88 x 106 Orlando Magic – 2014

Flamengo 72 x 112 Memphis Grizzlies – 2014

Flamengo 73 x 90 Orlando Magic – 2015

Flamengo 82 x 119 Orlando Magic – 2018

Flamengo 76 x 109 Orlando Magic – 2023

Next appointment

The Most Beloved returns to Rio de Janeiro at the end of this week to continue preparing for the upcoming challenges in the New Basketball Brazil (NBB). Two classics await: on the 7th, against Botafogo, at Maracanãzinho, and on the 9th, against Vasco, at São Januário.

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