Preview: Paraiba Looks to Continue Surge Against League-Leading Corinthians

SAO PAULO (Interstat) — The surging Paraiba squad will face its toughest test of the late season when it visits the powerhouse Corinthians on Tuesday in a Brazilian Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) matchup at Ginasio Wlamir Marques.

Paraiba (16-18) enters on a two-game winning streak, including a statement 101-91 road victory over Cruzeiro last Tuesday. The team has won four of its last six, a stretch that includes a 79-68 home win over these same Corinthians on April 7.

The visiting team will again rely on guard Yohanner Sifontes, who is coming off a near triple-double performance against Cruzeiro with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. In the April 7 win over Corinthians, Sifontes contributed 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Corinthians (26-11), however, sits near the top of the league standings and presents a formidable challenge on its home court. Since that loss to Paraiba, Corinthians has won four of five games, most recently a 92-79 road win at Caxias Do Sul on Friday.

The home team is orchestrated by elite playmaker Elinho Corazza, who is averaging a double-double over his last seven games. He dished out 11 assists in the win over Caxias Do Sul and has recorded double-digit assists in four of his last five outings.

The season series is split 1-1. After Corinthians’s 105-75 rout in November, Paraiba answered with its 11-point home victory earlier this month. In the most recent meeting in Sao Paulo on Feb. 9, Corinthians held serve with an 81-75 win.

For Paraiba to pull another upset, it will need another efficient performance from Sifontes and supporting players like Henrique Coelho and Victor Leal, who combined for 25 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Cruzeiro. Corinthians will counter with Corazza’s distribution and a balanced attack that saw Caue dos Santos score 19 points in Friday’s victory.

Tip-off is set for Tuesday afternoon in Sao Paulo.