PBA: Purefoods shoots for 3-0 vs Blackwater; Rain or Shine, GlobalPort break tie for 5th place

Purefoods will try to stretch to stretch their win-streak to three games as they face Blackwater on Friday, after having their best start in recent conferences opening the Commissioner's Cup with back-to-back victories against GlobalPort and Alaska.

The Grand Slam champions returned with vengeance after getting eliminated in the quarterfinals in the Philippine Cup, their offense sharper and their defense tighter than ever in their first two games.

Stand-in reinforcement Marqus Blakely will be playing one last game for the Hotshots, as original import Daniel Orton just arrived on Tuesday and will need some time to adjust to the team.

"There's nothing wrong with having a guy like Marqus in your back pocket," said Purefoods coach Tim Cone of the 6-foot-4 forward. "It's really a luxury at this point."

The veteran PBA import, however, will be tested against Gilas Pilipinas center Marcus Douthit as Purefoods play the Elite. The 6-foot-11 big man is also standing in for Blackwater import Chris Charles, who is still nursing a pulled hamstring.

Despite his shorter height compared to other imports in the league, Blakely had been brilliant for the Hotshots in the first two games, averaging 21.5 points, 15 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.

Douthit, meanwhile, had 14 points, 17 boards, and two assists in Blackwater's 88-78 loss to Talk 'n Text.

Tip-off is at 7 pm at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum, after the contest between Rain or Shine and GlobalPort at 4:15 pm.

The Elasto Painters and Batang Pier will break their tie for fifth place in the standings with identical 1-1 cards, setting up a showdown between respective imports Rick Jackson and CJ Leslie.

GlobalPort seeks to bounce back from their 83-70 defeat in the hands of Purefoods, while RoS will try to start a streak after their 96-91 victory against NLEX. - RAF, GMA News