PUREFOODS Tender Juicy tries to solidify its hold of the lead when it shoots for win No. 4 against the rejuvenated Welcoat Paints in the opener of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup today at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The only unbeaten team so far in the tournament, the Giants hope to extend their winning streak to four against the Dragons in their 4:35 p.m. encounter.

In the second game, Red Bull seeks its third straight win against Sta. Lucia Realty at 7:20 in the evening.

Purefoods is coming off huge back-to-back wins, beating league heavyweights Talk ’N Text (112-97) and Magnolia (93-90), underscoring they won’t be pushovers in the All-Filipino tournament.

“If we want to be the best, we have to beat the best teams out there. So far, we’ve beaten two preseason favorites and that’s good for the confidence of my players,” said Giants head coach Ryan Gregorio.

But Purefoods enters the game today minus starting guard Roger Yap who was canned by the league for one game after punching Beverage Masters playmaker LA Tenorio in their previous encounter. Yap was also fined P20,000.

This means that Gregorio has to rely more on rookie guard Chico Lanete and give Brandon Cablay more minutes against Welcoat, which finally broke into the win column with a surprising 82-64 win over defending champion Barangay. Ginebra on Saturday in Roxas City.

It was the Dragons’ first victory after two losses and coach Leo Austria hopes that his wards can continue to play with the same intensity to have a shot against the league leader.

Meanwhile, the Barakos gun for at least a share of second spot with Magnolia (3-1) as they battle the Realtors (1-2). The Realtors are also coming off their first win in the tournament by trouncing the Phone Pals, 97-87.

Red Bull produced different heroes in its first two wins, with Junthy Valenzuela leading the team in their 86-75 triumph over Welcoat before Celino Cruz carried the cudgels for the Barakos on Wednesday against Air21, 95-84.

It’s a surprising start for the wards of coach Yeng Guiao, who lost marquee players Lordy Tugade, Enrico Villanueva and Larry Fonacier last season in a trade with Magnolia.

“Everyone is stepping up particularly Junthy and Cyrus [Baguio],” said Guiao.

Red Bull faces a motivated Sta. Lucia quintet, which finally solved its tendency to collapse in the end game in the Realtors’ win against Talk ’N Text last Sunday at the Big Dome.

Realtors coach Boyet Fernandez will again rely on veterans Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino and last year’s Rookie of the Year Kelly Williams in putting a halt to the Barakos’ two-game rampage.

Magic weighs in…and it’s heavy for Lakers, Bryant

On Day Two of the regular season, the Lakers’ uneasiness continued.

Magic Johnson, who owns almost 5 percent of the team, offered critical remarks toward the organization and a biting analysis of the Kobe Bryant trade saga during his stint as a TNT analyst for the Lakers’ season-opening loss to Houston on Tuesday night. Johnson also suggested Lakers owner Jerry Buss could provide a calming voice to the situation.

Other big stories outside Kobe

It started just about five months ago. While LeBron James seemed to be ascending to the top of the NBA’s greatest-player heap, that other greatest player in the league—Kobe Bryant—began making the circuit of radio talk shows, openly complaining about the state of the Lakers and acknowledging that, yes, he definitely (maybe, sort of) wanted to be traded.

Double world champion Ronnie Alcano seeks to extend his reign in one of his domains and become just the second player ever to successively rule the World Pool Championship (WPC) when the biggest pool show on earth unfolds its 18th edition tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum.

CHICAGO, Illinois—Harry Tañamor entered the quarterfinals of the International Amateur Boxing Association World Boxing Championships, but that’s only a consolation for the Filipino light-flyweight after he beat Sherali Dostiev of Tajikistan. His victory Wednesday assured the 29-year-old a slot in the Beijing Olympics next year.

Derailing Giants in the minds of Welcoat Paints

PUREFOODS Tender Juicy tries to solidify its hold of the lead when it shoots for win No. 4 against the rejuvenated Welcoat Paints in the opener of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup today at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Tough Turf: Close race for top jockeys’ honors

THE US Breeders’ Cup, the richest two-day racing extravaganza in the whole world, ended up not with a big bang but left a big mark in the whole racing world.