The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Blackwater Bossing square off this Sunday to cap another week in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Will Ginebra get their third win of the conference? Or, will the Bossing silence the crowd at Philsports Arena and end a losing skid?

Catch this game live on Sunday,  November 26 at 6:15 pm, Manila time.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Maverick Ahanmisi
  • Scottie Thompson
  • Tony Bishop 
  • Japeth Aguilar
  • Christian Standhardinger

The Barangay are on the rise again. After a brutal meltdown in a 93-91 loss to the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, Ginebra bounced right back in a thrilling 107-102 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last Friday. Maverick Ahanmisi was hot again in the Rain or Shine game, as he went off for 21 points with five 3-pointers. Including the loss to Magnolia, Ahanmisi managed to score 42 points with 10 triples in the last two games.

 Whether he stays hot or not against Blackwater. Ahanmisi will stretch Blackwater’s defense this Sunday. Also making life easier for Ginebra is import Tony Bishop, who is proving to be a great fit for the team. He’s not Justin Brownlee, but Bishop can also do a little bit of everything, while also involving his teammates. Against Rain or Shine, Bishop had 25 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.

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Blackwater Bossing (1-3)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Joseph Casio
  • Tyrus Hill
  • Rey Suerte
  • Bradwyn Guinto
  • Christopher Ortiz

The Bossing failed anew to get back in the win column, as they lost to the Phoenix Super LPG Fuelmasters on Friday, 111-106. That’s the second straight defeat of Blackwater after winning its opener against the Converge FiberXers. Blackwater’s loss to Phoenix was not because of the Bossing import’s poor play, as Chris Ortiz scattered 35 points for the Bossing and grabbed 13 boards with seven assists in 44 minutes.

 The Bossing’s defense was the bigger suspect, especially in the paint, where Phoenix had a +12 advantage by the end of the contest. With Ginebra’s towering frontcourt and fantastic ball movement, the Bossing’s defense will be put to a huge test again. A good sign for Blackwater is that it is  No. 1 in the league in blocks with 4.75 swats per game and third with 9.0 steals per contest.

PREDICTION:

Spread: Ginebra (-10.5) covers the spread.

Over/Under:  The total (195) hits the Under.

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