Marcelinho Machado is finally back to being Marcelinho Machado. After battling a lack of rhythm and tendinitis in his left hand, which kept him out of action for over a month, Flamengo's number 4 is getting back to his old form. And Sunday morning's match was proof of that. Playing freely and with a well-tuned hand, the winger scored an incredible 45 points and led the team from Gávea to a 104-74 victory over Assis at the HSBC Arena.

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After a devastating first quarter, Flamengo had no trouble managing their lead and easily overcoming the São Paulo team, securing their third consecutive victory in the 2009-2010 New Basketball Brazil season. Coach Paulo Chupeta's team started the match at full steam and closed the first quarter leading 31-15. In the second period, Assis made things difficult, but after the break, Marcelinho remained inspired, the red-and-black team increased their lead and had no trouble securing the victory.

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With this result, Flamengo achieved its seventh victory in ten NBB matches and remains in contention for a spot in the top four. Furthermore, the team gains morale ahead of a tough series of matches in the upcoming rounds: Minas Gerais, Brasília, and Paulistano.

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"This break from last year to this year has hampered the team, and they needed a run of games. These three wins were very important because we're going to face three tough teams: Minas, Brasília, and Paulistano," analyzed coach Paulo Chupeta.

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Marcelinho makes history - Marcelinho Machado's individual performance was crucial to the victory over Assis, but it went beyond that. The number 4 achieved two historic milestones this Sunday. He broke the record for individual points in a National Basketball League match, previously held by Dedé, with 42 points. He also surpassed the 3500-point mark for Flamengo—now he has 3527.

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"The important thing wasn't any of these marks, but rather getting back into top form. The whole team played very well, and these three wins in a row are great because they give us a boost of morale at the start of the season. We know we didn't start the year very well; we've been out of action for a long time, but the team is improving. I needed a performance like this. I was still having difficulty with some movements, but today I felt better," explained Marcelinho.