LIGA PRO TEAM AND MOSCOWSKY ARE THROUGH TO THE PHYGITAL BASKETBALL FINAL

Tomorrow (December 23) LIGA PRO TEAM and Moscowsky will face each other in the final of Phygital Basketball.3on3 Freestyle brought to you by M42 competition at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi.

Following two dramatic and hard-fought semi-finals, the two teams won through to compete for the ultimate prize in Phygital Basketball.3on3 Freestyle brought to you by M42 at this year’s Games of the Future 2025 Abu Dhabi powered by ADNOC.

PBC Astana, LIGA PRO TEAM, Moscowsky and Adria All Stars all took to the court, having won their quarter-final matches quite comfortably. But today, the level of competition would be of a much higher standard. Here’s how things shook out.

PBC Astana (AST) came into the semi having played the most difficult quarter-final, only narrowly beating FlashBasket after being behind for most of the match. LIGA PRO TEAM (LPT), however, had cruised through in their meeting against Great Team Brazil. So, this was always going to be an interesting contest.

The digital stage looked like it might decide the entire match as LPT pulled into the lead quickly with a series of double-pointers. AST looked to be left in the dust (after only a few minutes they were nearly 11 points behind) but scrambled back to narrow the deficit. After digital it was 13-19 to LPT.

The second half on the court was a physical affair as the fouls piled up and both sides got aggressive. LPT widened their lead to 12 points at halftime and never looked back, finishing out at 25-40 with over 2 mins still on the clock.

Afterward Iurii MAESTRO Bespalov from LIGA PRO TEAM, who scored most of the baskets, played down the victory: “As usual there is only one reason we’re here and that is to win.”

Asked about their hopes and expectations for tomorrow’s final, he added:

“No matter which team we’re against, they’re both very good so we know it’s going to be a tough game.”

This had the potential to be a real classic. Both teams won the digital stage in their quarter-finals even before the clock had run out. Moscowsky had gone one better by also winning their physical match against Interstellars, hitting the golden 39 points with a minute of play still left. Both teams were so far undefeated. For one that was about to change.

The digital contest was fascinating. Adria All Stars (AAS) completely dominated possession but couldn’t convert it into points. Their constant rebounds let Moscowsky(BCM) stay in the game even though they were totally outplayed. AAS should have closed it out sooner but still ended with a decent 20-14 lead.

That shrank quickly in a physical stage that started scrappy on both sides –it was a full 2 mins before a single basket was scored. BCM were like a blocking wall. AAS could barely find a way through or score. After that AAS never scored a basket and Moscowsky took it 39-29 with 16 seconds left on the clock. Thrilling stuff.

An exhausted Sergey “Academik” Kozlov from Moscowsky said afterwards: “After the digital stage we were a little shocked. We did not play with enough force. It made us really nervous. But in the physical stage our strategy worked and gave us the advantage.”

Asked about their hopes and expectations for tomorrow’s final, he added:

“We know them. We’ve played them. We know they’re strong and they have really good cyber sportsmen – but hopefully we’ll find a solution. It’s a final and in the end it will be about who demonstrates the greatest willingness to win.”

And so there’s just one more game to play but it’s the most important one in this tournament. Who’ll win? Tune in tomorrow at 17:30 GST when PBC Astana and Adria All Stars meet for the third-place play-offs, before the grand final LIGA PRO TEAM meet Moscowsky itself at 18.30 GST. You can follow all the action live on tv.gofuture.games, the new streaming hub and digital home for live broadcasts, replays, highlights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content spanning all disciplines at GOTF 2025.

For the full Games of the Future 2025 timetable and all results so far, visit our schedule page here.