2018 3x3 World Tour Final Review
Saskatoon, Canada’s number one 3x3 basketball team, suffered an early exit in the 2018 World Tour Finals.
They opened the two-day event in Beijing against top-seeded Liman, who won 18-13. A second, heavier loss to Princeton, 22-10, saw them eliminated from title contention. Liman then topped Pool A with a final four-point win over Princeton.
In addition, Russian side Gagarin and Delhi from India both lost the first two games of Pool C and D respectively, while Amsterdam took first place in Pool D with a final 21-17 win over Piran. Pool C, meanwhile, ended with Riga taking Zemun to overtime, and though they went one point within victory, a two-pointer from Nikola Vukovic won the game and the pool for Zemun.
Meanwhile, Novi Sad opened Pool B with a ten-point win over Humpolec, who then upset Ljubljana with a 17-15 overtime win later in the day. After another loss to Novi Sad, this time by five, Ljubljana's time in Beijing was up.
Moving on to day two, all four quarter-finals were hotly contested, with Amsterdam and Zemun advancing after three-point wins over Humpolec and Princeton respectively. Novi Sad won over Piran by four points, while Riga pulled off an upset, dispatching the first seeds Liman 16-13.
Another close semi-final between Riga and Amsterdam followed, with the Latvians winning in the final minute of play by the eventual scoreline of 19-17. Novi Sad’s final ticket was won more convincingly, with an eight-point victory over Zemun.
Novi Sad keep their 100% record in 2018 intact, and win their record third FIBA 3x3 World Tour title. Their captain, Dusan Bulut, was named the season's MVP.
Check out the top five moments from the 2018 World Tour final:
