Nairobi City Thunder face MBB in must-win BAL match-up

Nairobi City Thunder’s playoff hopes are hanging by a thread in Kigali. The Bradley Ibs-led Kenyan basketball champions remain winless after four matches in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference, ongoing in Rwanda.

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Thunder face South Africa’s Made by Ball Basketball (MBB) on Saturday, 24 May, from 15:30. They are chasing a first victory to keep their aspirations for a place in the BAL playoffs, set for June, alive.

In their first meeting, a lapse in defense in the closing ten seconds saw Uganda international Robinson Opong drop a clutch three that denied Ibs charges a first victory in a 75-74 outcome. Thunder had led by 18 points in the third quarter, only to crumble at the most crucial moment.

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The match exposed Thunder’s defense as Pieter Prinsloo hurt the Kenyan side time and again, going on to score 30 points (and 11 rebounds), nine more than the Kenyan side’s top scorer, Evans Ganapamo, who dropped 21.

“This is our first time, so we are learning game by game. You can see us improving with each game. We are figuring out which combinations work best,” Ibs told BAL.com after their loss to MBB, a side Thunder had dominated in the Road to BAL Elite 16 group matches in Nairobi last year.

Thunder are coming off a 104-91 loss to Al Ahly Tripoli, the win securing the Nile Conference’s first post-season ticket for the North Africans. The 13-point loss was a massive improvement for the Kenyan side that had gone down 115-87 in their first meeting.

On their part, MBB look to not only complete a double over the Kenyans but also win their third after shocking hosts APR 94-88, improving their record to 2-2 with two games remaining. Just four days before, APR had trounced MBB 103-81.

“After the first two games, it didn't look promising, and many counted us out. But we identified our mistakes and recognised our potential,” said MBB power forward Prinsloo, who shot 5-for-9 to finish with 13 points and seven rebounds against the hosts.

The outcome of the Nile Conference remains to be seen, but Prinsloo says MBB’s confidence levels have skyrocketed.

“We have a day to recover and get our bodies right, but at this point, we are focused on leaving here with a 4–2 record,” Prinsloo said after the APR win on Thursday, adding: "One more win, and we're in Pretoria—that's what we promised our fans."

After Al Ahli Tripoli clinched one of the Nile Conference's two automatic playoff spots, only one berth remains.

The final playoff spot will go to the team with the best third-place record between the Nile and Kalahari Conferences.