DEFENDING champion San Miguel and Rain or Shine clash in a battle of teams hoping to get back on the winning track in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. with the 2-2 (won-lost) Beermen and 2-1 Elasto Painters.
In the first game, Phoenix (3-0) stakes its immaculate record against Blackwater (1-2) at 4:30 p.m.
True to its expectation in the preseason, San Miguel Beer was welcomed by a tough field with two quick losses early in the all-Filipino conference.
Columbian Dyip gave the four-time champions a reality check with 124-118 upset, while TNT scored a 104-93 beating of the Beermen last Sunday.
Christian Standhardinger paced San Miguel with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Von Pessumal listed a career-high 23 points in a losing effort.
Alex Cabagnot continues to miss games with a hamstring injury, while new recruit Terrence Romeo may be back to the lineup after suffering an ankle sprain against Dyip in the opener.
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, had a promising start with two consecutive wins over NLEX and Barangay Ginebra before it bowed to Blackwater, 111-99, on Wednesday.
The Elasto Painters are by far the best defensive team in the conference by only allowing 83 points per outing in their first two games.
Then came the hot-shooting Elite who made a splash in the second half to list 111 points.
Playing limited exposure against Blackwater as he recovers from ankle injury, Raymond Almazan is expected to serve longer minutes against the Beermen as he mans the shaded lane against June Mar Fajardo.