The PBA 3x3 will hold the resumption of its Grand Finals on April 27 after play was halted last Wednesday due to a fire that broke out inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City has been tapped as host of the remaining nine matches after league officials met Thursday to discuss when the culminating stage of the second conference can resume.
Action starts at 3 p.m. with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Platinum Karaoke facing off in the last game of pool play, before the Grand Finals heads into the knockout stage.
Ginebra and Platinum were about to begin their match when the Grand Finals was put on hold around lunch time with the smoke already visible on the playing court.
All PBA 3x3 teams, officials and staff were immediately evacuated, albeit in a calm manner, before a number of fire trucks entered the venue to douse the flame which came from an air handling unit at the Red Gate section.
Five pool matches had been completed when the incident occurred, with Sista and Pioneer claiming the two quarterfinal slots in Pool A.
Sista won all two assignments while Pioneer advanced after eliminating Purefoods to go 1-1 in the same pool.
Ginebra has a 1-0 record in Pool B after defeating Terrafirma, while the latter beat Platinum to finish at 1-1 and keep its slim hopes of making the quarters.
First conference champion Limitless, TNT, Meralco and San Miguel Beer are already seeded into the quarters by virtue of being the top four finishers based on tour points collected after six legs.
Limitless plays Pioneer, San Miguel meets the top team in Pool B, Meralco takes on Sista and TNT meets the second placer in Pool B.
The PBA’s halfcourt tournament will return to Ynares for the first time since the fifth leg of the first conference last December.
Four previous legs were also held at the arena located at the Kapitolyo area before action shifted to the Big Dome.