Nairobi City Thunder, KPA inch closer to KNBL final

Defending champions Nairobi City Thunder and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) moved to within one victory of the National Men’s Basketball Premier League final after taking commanding 2-0 leads in their best-of-five semifinal series on Thursday night.

Thunder beat Stanbic Shields 91-67 at Nyayo Gymnasium, Nairobi, while KPA defeated Equity Dumas 102-87 to maintain their grip on the semifinals.

The two teams will be seeking to complete the job tomorrow when Game Three is played, with Thunder taking on Stanbic at Nyayo, while KPA host Equity at Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa.

A win for either Thunder or KPA will see them book their place in the final and bring the series to an end, with Games Four and Five scheduled for Sunday and Monday respectively.

Thunder laid the foundation for their victory with a dominant opening quarter, racing to a 35-19 lead before Stanbic narrowly took the second quarter 14-13. The champions nevertheless went into the break with a 48-33 advantage.

Stanbic again edged Thunder 22-20 in the third quarter, but the champions responded strongly in the final period, winning it 23-12 to seal the 91-67 victory.

KPA were made to work harder by Equity, trailing 23-22 after the opening quarter. The Dockers recovered to edge the second quarter 26-25, sending the teams into the break level at 48-48.

The Coast-based side stepped up after the interval, winning the third quarter 23-19 before pulling away in the final period with a commanding 31-20 scoreline to secure a 102-87 victory.

Thunder had opened their semifinal campaign with an 82-65 victory over Stanbic, while KPA cruised past Equity 87-56 in Game One.