SINGAPORE (Singapore) - It doesn't get any more dramatic than Group B of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025. The faith of all three teams will be decided on the final group day.
In Group A, the defending champions stormed to a 2-0 record and another Final appearance.
Borges grounds the Hawks
In a game with 17 lead changes, and no team able to open up a double digit advantage, we witnessed the first overtime of the Intercontinental Cup this year.
The Illawarra Hawks thought they were headed towards a win, up by three points in the final minute of the fourth stanza.
However, Alexey Borges decided it was his time to take over. The point guard knocked down a game-tying three-pointer with three seconds on the game clock, and went and won the game in overtime for Flamengo.
Coach Sergio Hernandez drew up his favorite play on the sideline out of bounds set. Borges was the one inbounding the ball, and getting it immediately back to float the game-winner above the entire Hawks defense.
Borges was the player of the game, too, with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists to his name.
It finished 84-82, meaning Flamengo are now at 1-1 and points difference 0 (175-175).
The last Group B game will see the Hawks facing NBA G League United. Any kind of win sends the G Leaguers to the championship game, as well as a one-point defeat.
A win by three points or more would send Illawarra to the Final, while a two-point win by Illawarra would mean the entire group is tied at 1-1 and points difference of 0.
The team with the most points scored would win the group in that case.
Unicaja cruise to 2-0
With the Utsunomiya Brex fans traveling in thousands and packing the stands in Singapore, the Basketball Champions League Asia winners troubled Unicaja for most of the first half.
However, the reigning champions just switched through gears after the break and ran away with this one, winning it 97-68.
The result means Unicaja are up to 2-0 and have won the group, no matter what happens in the final group game between Brex and Alahli SC.
Tyler Kalinoski was on fire again, hitting five three-pointers to finish with a team-high 19 points for Unicaja. Over his two games in Singapore this season, Kalinoski is shooting 9-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Last summer, he went 10-of-18 across three games in the same arena in the Intercontinental Cup 2024.
Utsunomiya Brex got 21 points from DJ Newbill, with 8 rebounds and 8 assists also in his stat line. They face Alahli SC on Saturday in the battle for the second spot in Group A.