SAO PAULO, Brazil (Interstat) — A stark contrast in fortunes will be on display Thursday when the surging Pinheiros host the struggling Pato Basquete in a Brazilian Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) matchup at Ginasio Poliesportivo Henrique Villaboim.

Pinheiros (27-8), among the league’s elite this season, aims to rebound from a narrow 76-75 road loss to Sao Jose on April 10. Despite that defeat, they have won seven of their last 10 games. Their offense is orchestrated by point guard David Sloan, who is coming off an 11-point, 9-assist performance in that loss and has averaged 9.3 assists over his last three contests.

They face a Pato Basquete squad (6-26) mired in a 10-game losing streak. Pato is coming off a 77-68 defeat at Osasco Basquete on Saturday. Their last victory was a 93-67 win over Botafogo on Feb. 12.

The head-to-head history heavily favors Pinheiros, who routed Pato 94-67 in their last meeting on Dec. 29, 2025.

Pato’s primary bright spot has been forward Grigor Batista Vieira, who is averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds over his last five games. He posted 19 points and 7 rebounds in a loss to Franca on April 9 and followed with 14 points and 9 rebounds against Osasco.

For Pinheiros, Sloan’s playmaking will be key, but they also rely on consistent production from center C.J. Penha, who scored 14 points in the last outing, and forward Yan Barbosa.

The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. local time (2230 GMT) in Sao Paulo. Pinheiros will look to solidify its standing near the top of the NBB table, while Pato Basquete seeks a monumental upset to snap its prolonged skid. Pato’s next game is at Paulistano on April 18.