Finally, Flamengo's basketball team will play its first home game of 2010. After two difficult matches in the interior of São Paulo, with a loss to Franca and a victory over Araraquara, the red-and-blacks will once again face a team from São Paulo, but this time at the HSBC Arena. This Friday, Marcelinho and company will face Bauru at 20 p.m. in a match valid for the 12th round of the 2009-2010 New Basketball Brazil season.

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Captain Marcelinho Machado, who has 3.454 points in 135 games for the red and black team, wants a win to close in on the leaders. Increasingly recovering from his left hand injury, the winger hopes to regain his match fitness and become a key player for the Gávea team.
 
"We have to win to climb the table, and Bauru is coming off a very strong run, having come from the Paulista semifinals and a great win over Joinville. They're a fast team with good shooters, and we need to defend them tightly to keep them from having any space to play. It's a tough game, against a quality opponent, but we're at home, we're looking to improve the table, and we'll fight for a good result," commented Marcelinho, captain of the Brazilian National Team and voted 'Best Player' in the 2009 New Basketball Brazil (NBB).

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Flamengo is fifth in the classification phase with 13 points (5v3d), the only team from Rio de Janeiro in the tournament and faces the third-to-last team in the table with 12 points (3v6d).

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Event - The match will also feature off-court entertainment. DJ Zé do Roque, working with Laranja Mecânica Sound System, formed by DJ Zé do Roque and musician Donatinho, will perform live electronic beats for a live PA performance of old Brazilian music classics. The UBI Crew Dance Group, a breakdance group coordinated by Edu b.boy, is a street culture allied with the sport that originated on the streets.

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Tony Boss, the official Flabasquete announcer, will also be present, bringing all his streetball entertainment experience to official NBB games. He is responsible for distributing official Flamengo regatta club gifts at games. Uruba and Urubinha are the club's two official mascots. Father and son, both vultures, and their website features several interactive games, especially for children. Uruba and Urubinha debuted for Flamengo in 2008, but since the first NBB season, they have been regulars at basketball games.