TNT tries to extend win streak in PBA 3x3

GRANDSLAM winner TNT and new guest team Wilcon Depot kick off Season 3 of the PBA 3x3 on Monday at the Ayala Mall Manila Bay.

Triple Giga open hostilities in the season’s First Conference as it battles Blackwater Smooth Razor at 10:30 a.m. while Wilcon Depot makes its debut in the halfcourt league by taking on Cavitex in the 10:55 a.m. second game.

The Trail Blazers are expected to want young talent and draft picks in exchange from any team interested in Lillard. Those with salary cap room to make the deal include the Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets. Players on the Heat who could be moved in exchange likely include guards Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro and forward Duncan Robinson.

ESPN reported Lillard has a “deep respect” for the San Antonio Spurs, who just landed French teen star big man Victor Wembanyama. But the Spurs finished 22-60 last season and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive campaign.

Lillard played under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on the US Tokyo Olympic gold medal squad. AFP

Prado, Carcueva, Bonilla rule national road cycling championships

JERMYN Prado snatched two gold medals, Jonel Carcueva kept his throne and Kim Bonilla was hailed as a rising star in the recent PhilCycling National Championships for Road that was raced in what could be the most punishing and cruel road route in years.

Prado won the women’s individual time trial and criterium to remain queen of Philippine cycling—she lost the criterium gold medal going to Maura de los Reyes in the four-day championships Philippine Olympic Committee and PhilCycling president and Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino hosted in Tagaytay City.

Prado won the 15-km individual time trial (ITT) in 34 minutes and 43.80 seconds . She clocked 3:22:04 in the 104-km road race that was punishing and cruel in the final 15 kms where the riders almost yielded to the steep climb from Agoncillo in Batangas to Alfonso in Cavite toward the Praying Hands monument in Tagaytay City.

Carcueva was as unrelenting in the 127km men’s road event punctuated by the same climb where majority of the riders had to dismount and push their bikes up the climb whose gradient ranged from 5 percent to as nerve-sapping as 28 percent.

He clocked 3:05:20 to lead a 1-2-3 finish by the Go For Gold team in the 120.85-km and 190-cyclist race presented by Standard Insurance and MVP Sports Foundation and supported by the POC, Philippine Sports Commission, supported by Chooks-to-Go and Excellent Noodles.

Rustom Lim submitted the best time of 36:21:50 in the 20-km Men Elite ITT, thus ending the reign of Mark John Lexer Galedo, who was 13 seconds slower at fifth place, while Excellent Noodles’s Ryan Tugawin dominated the Men Elite criterium to also share the spotlight.

The championships started Tuesday

Coming off a sweep of all three conferences in Season 2, TNT will continue to parade the solid core of Almond Vosotros, Lervin Flores, Ping Exciminiano, and Gryann Mendoza, with Mau Belen at the coaching helm.

Veteran Nico Salva meanwhile, banners the revamped Blackwater side of coach Junjie Ablan that also included Patrick Jamison, Dariel Bayla, and JR Alabanza.

New kid on the block Wilcon Depot will be handled by Anton Altamirano and is composed of Ael Banal, Terrence Tumalip, Keith Datu, and Yutien Andrada, while Cavitex still has the reliable group of Jorey Napoles, Dominick Fajardo, Tonino Gonzaga, and Kenneth Ighalo, with Kyles Lao as coach.

The rest of the seven teams, namely Pioneer Elastoseal, San Miguel, Purefoods, Meralco, Northport, Terrafirma, and Barangay Ginebra will also see action on opening day, where a total of 13 games will be played.

Meralco and Terrafirma tangle with each other in their debut game at 11:20 a.m., Pioneer plays Blackwater for its initial outing at 11:45 a.m., San Miguel takes on Purefoods at 12:10 p.m., before Barangay Ginebra plays Northport at 12:35 p.m.

The 11-team field has been divided into three groups, with TNT leading Pool A together with Blackwater and Pioneer. Pool B is composed of Cavitex, San Miguel, Purefoods, and Wilcon, while Pool C has Meralco, Ginebra, Northport, and Terrafirma.

Top two teams in each group advance in the knockout stage set on Tuesday.

Champion team of the opening leg will receive P100,000.

DOMINANT RIDE. The Excellent Noodles Cycling Team, led by owner Alex Billan, came home with several awards after taking part in the Tour of Friendship R1 Thailand, a road cycling race that has been participated in by more than 12 countries since 2006. During its 2023 edition, the bikefest was a ve-stage race from April 29 to May 2. Awardees from the team were Ryan Tugawin (Men’s Open champion), Santy Barnachea (Men’s 30 - 39 Age Category winner), Resty Aragon (Men’s 40 – 49 Age Category 1st Runner-Up), Romeo Camingao (Men’s 50 – 59 Age Category 2nd Runner-Up) and Juancho Bumagat (Men’s Masters 60+ Age Category champion). All of these awardees also emerged Kings of the Mountain in their respective categories.