Nairobi City Thunder fall again as BAL Playoff hopes narrow
Nairobi City Thunder's tough Basketball Africa League (BAL) debut continued with a second straight defeat, this time at the hands of Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli in the Nile Conference group stage in Kigali.
Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder continued to struggle in their debut Basketball Africa League (BAL) campaign, falling 115–87 to Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli in their second group match of the ongoing Nile Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.
Coming off a 92–63 defeat to hosts APR in their opener, Thunder faced a sharp and aggressive Al Ahli side that went on to dominate three of the four quarters. The Libyan club raced ahead early, winning the first quarter 24–18 and extending their lead to 53–38 by halftime. Their control deepened in the third quarter with a 28–15 run, before both sides closed evenly with 34 points apiece in the final stretch.
More To Read
- Nairobi City Thunder outclassed by hosts APR in BAL Nile Conference opener
- Thunder boosted ahead of BAL debut by return of key forward
- Nairobi City Thunder makes history with BAL qualification
- Burundian basketball team Dynamo BC expelled from 2024 BAL season following second forfeiture
- Basketball Africa League expands with five teams, three new nations
Despite showing improvement on offence compared to their opening game, Thunder struggled defensively to contain Al Ahli’s pace, movement, and precision. The Kenyan side showed glimpses of resilience in the fourth quarter, but the gap was already too wide to recover.
The result leaves Nairobi City Thunder at the bottom of the group standings alongside South Africa’s Made by Basketball, who also lost their opener to Al Ahli. Meanwhile, APR of Rwanda and Al Ahli Tripoli now top the group with two wins each, tightening the race as the round-robin phase continues.
With only the top two teams from the Nile Conference advancing to next month’s playoffs in Pretoria, Thunder must now win their remaining fixtures and hope for favourable results elsewhere to stay in contention for a postseason berth.
The Nile Conference action resumes with all four teams still in the hunt, as the battle for the final BAL Playoff spots enters a decisive stage.
Top Stories Today
