Thunder tackle Johannesburg Giants in BAL Elite 16 battle

National league champions Nairobi City Thunder clash with South Africa's Johannesburg Giants today in hunt of their second win of the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 East Division qualifiers at Kasarani Indoor Arena.

Thunder who got a bye in the first round launched their Road to BAL with an impressive 89-62 against Ugandan champions Namuwongo Blazers in their opening Group A match on Tuesday.

A win against the South Africans will see them top their pool which has three teams following the withdrawal of Benin champions Elan Coton.

The Bradley Ibs charges are looking to secure their ticket to BAL for a second year in a row with the aim of performing better than they did at the Nile Conference.

Despite having a low start that saw the Ugandans control the first quarter, Thunder recovered to stage a dominant performance and carry the day.

Captain Tylor Ongwae said that the first match is always challenging but once they got it right they fought on. "The first match is always tense but once we settled, we played well."

Lance Thomas had a good day in office knocking down a match-high 18 points and tanking top in efficiency with 20 in a match that saw four Thunder stars hit double digit scores.

Albert Odero, Derrick Ogechi and Ongwae scored 16, 14 and 13 points respectively with Ater Majok emerging the encounter's top rebounder with 11.

Jovan James Mooring led Namuwongo with 15 points while James Okello added 11. The duo's solid start saw their side lead their hosts throughout the first period to snatch it 25-23.

However, Thunder regrouped to return stronger in the second quarter controlling the floor to score 20 points against Namuwongo's 15 and take a narrow three points lead with the score at 43-40 at half-time.

On resumption, Thunder were unstoppable, dominating their guests in all aspects of play. Their offensive display and solid defence would see them take the third quarter 24-11 to extend their lead to 67-51.

There was no looking back for Thunder as they outplayed Namuwongo in the final period scoring 21 against 11 to seal their first win.

Today, they will clash with the South Africans who won the first Round East Division Group E qualifiers. Coach Ibs is not likely to make any major changes today since most of his players impressed in their tie against Namuwongo. Majok, Thomas, Ogechi, Odero and Ongwae are likely to start.

In Group B, Malawi's Bravehearts Basketball Club will take on Zambia's Matero MagiC while Tanzania champions Dar City will lock horns with Mozambique's Ferroviario Da Beira in a clash which is likely to decide the semi-finalists from the pool. Da Beira beat Bravehearts 78-66 while Dar City dismissed Matero Magic 85-78 in their opening matches.