Flamengo returned to Tijuca Tênis Clube on Wednesday night (26) and faced Pinheiros in the third game of the quarterfinal series. Despite seeking the result until the last minute, the Pride of the Nation was defeated by 90 to 79.

Among Flamengo's highlights, Marquinhos was once again the red-black's top scorer with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists; Marcelinho scored 16 points; Mineiro scored two points and two blocks.

After the loss, José Neto spoke about the result and analyzed the Mais Querido's performance on the court. "Nobody wins on the eve of the match. Regardless of the opponent, we need to play to win, especially against a spirited team like Pinheiros. We knew they would come here with no other option than to win to continue in the championship. I don't think we could withstand that momentum defensively. We need to work hard on that. In the last game, they had a good performance, but our defense allowed 73 points. Today, they allowed 90. We were lacking in that regard, and they took advantage of it very well," said the coach.

The coach also spoke about the lesson learned from the match: "It's not an advantage for us to play a game with a high score, like 90-90, even though we have a good attack. We can produce offensively from the defense, being able to defend well and take advantage of the attack. So, if we learn anything, it's that things confirm what we already expected, that they will play with a high volume of success if we allow them."

The series is 2-1 for Flamengo. Now, the teams go to São Paulo for the fourth game, which will be played on Monday (1), at 19 pm, at the Henrique Villaboim Multisport Gymnasium. The duel will be broadcast on SporTV.