Heavy favorites Platinum Karaoke, TNT qualify for PBA 3x3 first leg quarterfinals

Platinum Karaoke and the TNT Tropang Giga lived up to the billing and swept their respective games n the opening day of the 2021 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) 3x3 on Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Platinum Karaoke, bannered by Karl Dehesa, JR Abalanza, Yutien Andrada, and Chris De Chavez, won its games against the Zamboanga Valientes (21-7), Limitless Appmasters (21-16), and Purefoods TJ Titans (21-14).

Platinum now leads Pool A with a clean 3-0 record and is now assured of a quarterfinals berth.

Joining them in the next round is TNT, who also notched all of their outings in the season opener.

The team composed of Samboy de Leon, Lervin Flores, Almond Vosotros, and Jeremiah Gray edged Purefoods (20-16), Limitless (21-9), and Zamboanga (21-18) to give new head coach Mau Belen a warm welcome.

Meanwhile, Purefoods has also secured a spot in the quarterfinals despite losing two of its four matches as it's currently in third spot in Pool A. Limitless and Zamboanga, the bottom teams in the pool, have been eliminated.

In Pool B, Meralco is assured of at least a spot in the knockout stage while Terrafirma, Ginebra, and the Sista Super Sealers will await the results of the remainder of the preliminary round on Sunday to determine their fates.

San Miguel Beermen and NorthPort, the leaders in Pool C, have also sealed their quarterfinal seats.

The league's first-ever three-a-side tournament returns tomorrow with three more QF slots up for grabs. Following the prelims will be the playoff round.

The top three teams in Pool A and the top two in B and C qualify for the quarterfinal and the third-ranked squads in Pools B and C collide in a knockout game.

—JMB, GMA News