Motilones del Norte — Piratas de Bogota: 95:87, LBP

Motilones del Norte beat Piratas de Bogota 95-87 in the Colombian LBP on Thursday evening. The home side held their ground against a superior opponent and took the points on their own floor.

It was a result that shifted the balance in the standings. Piratas de Bogota sat fourth with eight wins from fourteen games before kick-off, while Motilones del Norte languished in seventh with five victories and nine defeats. The hosts did not drop further down the table, but the visitors lost ground in the race for the top positions.

There was an odd symmetry to the evening. Both teams carried records into the fixture that reflected their respective positions, and both had already met earlier on the same calendar day — or at least the data suggests they had, with the reverse scoreline. Piratas de Bogota had won 83-80 in that earlier encounter, and Motilones del Norte responded with a nine-point margin here. The winners extended their unbeaten run to two, while the visitors failed to complete a double over their local rivals.

The prediction markets had given the home side a slim chance — fifty-five percent confidence, not much more than a coin toss. They proved the analysts wrong. Motilones del Norte kept Piratas de Bogota from extending their recent dominance, and for one night at least, the seventh-placed team looked more dangerous than the fourth.