TWO teams go for win no. 2 while two others aim to finally break into the winning column at the resumption of the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
Defending champion San Miguel goes for a follow-up win but unpredictable Phoenix Petroluem stands in the way as the two tango at 7 p.m. as the scene shifts to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
In the curtain-raiser, Rain or Shine also looks for its second straight victory when it goes up against Mahindra at 4:15 p.m.
Both the Beermen and the Elasto Painters want a piece of the early tournament lead and tie surprising leader Blackwater at 2-0.
The Beermen started out slow but eventually showed their championship poise to top Star, 96-88, last week in the first game of the season.
Three-time reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos are all back in serious business and San Miguel coach Leo Austria hopes for an even stronger start when his team gets tested by the Fuel Masters.
“We were able to show our character in our first game and that’s a good start,” said Austria. “We now have to sustain it.”
Unlike San Miguel, Phoenix wasn’t as sharp in its opener, crumbling down the stretch and losing to Blackwater, 94-87.
The Fuel Masters are looking to bounce back and avoid an early hole.
Despite having new key players, it didn’t take long for the Elasto Painters to get their act together.
They had a tremendous start as they downed heavyweight TNT KaTropa, 101-87, with ease last week to give the league a stern warning that they will remain a force.
Meanwhile, Mahindra, a team clearly lacking firepower, had reportedly signed up free agent scorer Gary David for one season.
David, the 38-year-old multiple time scoring champion, was not renewed by the Beermen prior to the start of the season but with this looming chance with the Floodbuster, he will have another crack at prolonging his PBA career.
The Floodbuster is expected to suit David up against the Elasto Painters, should everything get finalized by gametime. Mahindra hopes David can help right away.
Mahindra got badly clobbered in its initial game, surrendering to GlobalPort, 97-75, last Friday.