'Playoff dream still alive' - Nairobi City Thunder center says after second BAL defeat
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 02.04.26. | 10:40
The Kenyan side has got to win its two remaining games to stand a chance at making the finals in Kigali next month
Nairobi City Thunder center Lance Thomas says his side’s playoffs dreams in the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) are still alive, this despite dropping a second game on Wednesday, 1 April.
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Thunder, playing in their third game of this season’s Kalahari Conference, were thwarted 97-70 by 2024 champions Petro De Luanda at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, leaving them with a small window of qualifying among the four best teams to the playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda next month.
Bradley Ibs’ side, now with a 1-2 record, are fifth in the six-team standings, and will need to win their next two games against Al Ahly Libya and RSSB Tigers to stand a chance at the Finals.
Speaking after Wednesday’s defeat, Thomas told BAL.com: “We need a short memory and focus on the next game.
Petro are a tough, experienced team, but our playoff dream is still alive, we just have to be at our best.”
In full control from start to finish. 👊
— Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) April 1, 2026
Petro de Luanda 🇦🇴 secure the win 97-70 over Nairobi City Thunder 🇰🇪@castlelitesa Game Summary! pic.twitter.com/kAmeSficq8
Against Petro, Thunder never looked in great shakes, as they trailed for the majority of the game, including a point in the third quarter where they were behind by as many as 33 points.
The turning point of the game came in a horrid second quarter for Thunder, when they gave up a 24-0 run from the Angolans, who went ahead to win it 35-11.
Believed to have come into this year’s tournament with sound chemistry, Thunder struggled to piece in the strings, coughing up possession 17 times, with Petro taking advantage to score 27 points off those turnovers.
That performance was a stark contrast to Thunder’s big win over Johannesburg Giants on Sunday, 29 March, and exposed the gulf in class between both teams.
“We started well, but Petro’s experience showed as the game went on, and it got away from us,” Thomas, who committed four turnovers, but was the team’s second-highest scorer with 12 points, said. “I am sure we are going to bounce back in the next game.”
Thunder, who were boosted with the return of guard Albert Odero from a hamstring injury, will hope to get things back on track on Friday, 3 April, when they face another defending champion - Al Ahly Libya - at 5:00 PM (EAT).
