By JONAS TERRADO
The PBA ushers in its new 3×3 tournament today with the Limitless Appmasters and the Purefoods TJ Titans facing off in the first of a busy 17-game schedule at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Limitless and Purefoods meet at 2 p.m. as the league’s halfcourt version finally gets going after delays brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The game is played for a period of 10 minutes, with the first team to score 21 points emerging as the winner.
Champion team in the first leg will receive P100,000, runner-up gets P50,000, and third place P30,000.
Brandon Rosser leads the Appmasters into battle opposite the Titans, who brought back 2014 Grand Slam team member Val Acuna to suit up in the 3×3 tourney.
Also on tap are Mark Cardona and the Zamboanga Valientes’ match with Platinum Karaoke, followed by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Sista Super Sealers and Larry Fonacier’s Cavitex Braves opposite the Pioneer Pro Tibay.
The TNT Tropang Giga begin their bid to follow the success of their 5-on-5 counterpart with a match with Limitless, Purefoods faces Zamboanga, Ginebra meets the Terrafirma 3×3 and the NorthPort Batang Pier clash with Pioneer.
Platinum takes on Limitless, Purefoods and TNT square off, the Meralco Bolts 3×3 debut against Sista, the San Miguel Beermen collide with NorthPort and Limitless faces Zamboanga, Platinum against Purefoods.
The first day of the first conference’s opening leg wraps up with Terrafirma-Meralco and Zamboanga-TNT.
Five more matches will be held tomorrow before heading to the knockout stage given to the top teams of Pool A, B and C, the second placers of both groups and the third-ranked squad of Pool A.
The third placers in Pool B and C dispute the eighth quarters berth in a one-game affair.
