Flamengo continues to dominate the Rio classics of the New Basketball Brazil (NBB). On Saturday afternoon, the red-black team visited Botafogo, at the Oscar Zelaya Gymnasium, in General Severiano, and won 92 to 85. With the result, Flamengo reaches its twenty-second victory in the competition and now turns its attention to the next round, where it will face São Paulo, Thursday (3), at Maracanãzinho.

The game

With a balanced first half, Flamengo struggled to impose its rhythm against its black-and-white rival. However, in the second half, the team grew on the court and put in decisive performances to secure the victory. The standout performer was American Shaq Johnson, who topped the scoreboard with 23 points, shooting an impressive 5-for-6 on three-pointers. Gui Deodato also played a key role, contributing 19 points.

Power forward Lucas Siewert was not far behind, being crucial in the second quarter by hitting two consecutive three-pointers, helping the team stay in the fight and finishing the game with 16 points (4/6 on perimeter shots). Siewert also highlighted the importance of the victory and the need to stay focused for the upcoming matches: "We know how difficult derbies are. We have to be more focused, we're working on that as a team. We have important games ahead, the team's performance was good, individually they gave me a lot of confidence, I was able to play well. Now we have a sequence of two home games (São Paulo and Paulistano) and we'll work to get two wins," he concluded.

Next challenge

The Pride of the Nation returns to the court on Thursday (3) to face São Paulo, at 21 pm, at Maracanãzinho, for the NBB. 

Starting Quintet

Alexey, Gui Deodato, Jordan Williams, Kayo Gonçalves and Taya Gallizzi.

Coach: Sergio Hernandez.