Games today:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:30 p.m. — TNT vs NorthPort

7:30 p.m. — Ginebra vs San Miguel

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone is confident that they are ready to take on the challenge of blemishing defending champion San Miguel Beer's flawless slate in their Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup faceoff on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Taking down erstwhile undefeated Magnolia last Sunday lifted the morale of Ginebra after suffering humiliation at the hands of Meralco before the All-Star and Lenten break.

"It's huge. I think our confidence took a little bit of a hit when we played Meralco. We needed something to get us back going forward," Cone said following their 87-77 victory over the Hotshots on Easter Sunday.

"That's gonna give us a lift more than anything going into San Miguel game."

With its confidence back, Cone expects Ginebra to go toe-to-toe with the Beermen in their 7:30 p.m. clash to get their second straight victory to hike their 3-1 win-loss record.

The Gin Kings are tied at third to fourth spot with NorthPort, which will face TNT Tropang Giga in the curtain-raiser at 4:30 p.m.

Despite the continued absence of Scottie Thompson due to back issues, Ginebra has been getting good numbers from its remaining guards, especially veteran Stanley Pringle, who has been delivering on offense for extended minutes, and Maverick Ahanmisi who is averaging 13.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo and Christian Standhardinger are also contributing well to the Kings' cause.

San Miguel Beer may be perfect after three outings, but Cone is unfazed.