Nairobi City Thunder cruise past Shields in KNBL semis opener

Nairobi City Thunder made a commanding start to their National Men’s Basketball Premier League semifinal playoff series, hammering Stanbic Shields 82-65 in Game One late Wednesday night at Nyayo Gymnasium, Nairobi.

The defending champions dominated the opening three quarters, setting the pace from the onset with a 25-16 first-quarter lead before producing an even more emphatic display in the second quarter.

Thunder clobbered the students 22-4 in the second period to take a commanding 47-20 advantage into halftime.

The unbeaten side continued its dominance after the break, winning the third quarter 23-21 to stretch the lead further, before Shields responded strongly in the final quarter, taking it 24-12.

Despite the late fightback from Shields, Thunder had already done enough to secure victory and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

The two teams will meet again tonight at 8pm at the same venue for Game Two. They will then have a day's rest before Game Three on Saturday, with Game Four and Game Five, if required, scheduled for Sunday and Monday respectively.

In the other semifinal, former champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) also opened their series with a convincing victory, beating Equity Dumas 87-56 in Game One at Nyayo Gymnasium.

KPA will face Equity Dumas again today at 6pm in Game Two before the series shifts to Mombasa for the remaining fixtures on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.