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Bishop faces old pals

Sports | Basketball

Bishop faces old pals

By Reynald I. Magallon

At A Glance

Tony Bishop faces his old pals when Barangay Ginebra clashes with Meralco in a tiff crucial to their playoff plans in the 2023 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, Dec. 22.

Tony Bishop faces his old pals when Barangay Ginebra clashes with Meralco in a tiff crucial to their playoff plans in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, Dec. 22.

Barangay Ginebra center Tony Bishop goes for a layup. (PBA Images)

Tip-off of the marquee duel is at 8 p.m. with an equally interesting matchup between NLEX and Blackwater serving as the curtain raiser in the first offering at 4 p.m.

Bishop is setting his friendship aside with the same people he fought with against his current team way back in the 2022 Governors’ Cup finals.

Now at the other side of the fence, the do-it-all import’s aim right now is to lead the Kings back to winning track after two consecutive losses and give their bid for a playoff spot a boost.

Sitting at the fifth spot of the standings with a 4-3 record, a win is a must for Ginebra not only for its claim for a playoff spot but also for their goal of barging into the Top 4 spots which dangle twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

Out to help him in the cause are Ginebra stars Christian Standhardinger, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar and Maverick Ahanmisi although they are expected to get their hands full against an in-form Meralco.

The Bolts have been on a tear so far with a four-game winning streak that already clinched them a spot in the quarterfinals after hiking their record to 6-1. Like Ginebra, though, Meralco is still looking to pile up more wins heading into the homestretch of the eliminations to secure the quarters bonus.

That should be a realistic target for the Bolts especially with the performance of import Zach Lofton along with the ample support from the local crew that featured the likes of Chris Newsome, Aaron Black and Raymond Almazan.

Related Tags

PBA Commissionerâ€™s Cup

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