Back-to-back, Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League champions Nairobi City Thunder lost their second game at the ongoing 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Kalahari Conference, 97-70, to 18 times Angola's first-tier Basketball national league champions Petro De Luanda on Wednesday at the SunBet Arena, Pretoria, South Africa.
The Bradley Ibs guided side started their campaign on the wrong foot on Sunday, losing their opener against series debutants Dar City, but later redeemed themselves with a comfortable win over homeboys Johannesburg Giants en route to Wednesday's clash against Angola's giants.
The Nairobi based side started out strong, leading the first quarter 24-20, only for the 2024 BAL champions Petro to run riot 24-0 in the second quarter, extending their lead to 28 points at the break, a run fuelled by a mix of strong defense and efficient offense, with the former champions restricting Thunder to just 11 points in that frame.
Petro coached by Sergio Moreno, looked comfortable and strong in the third quarter, although Thunder cut a deficit to 18 points, but even then, the game looked lost, with the guys from Angola's capital city romping to a 27 point victory finally, boosting their chances of making it to the BAL Finals in Rwanda next month as Kenya's Thunder's chances look slimmer.
Bradley Ibs has another date, this time with defending champions Al Ahly Libya on Friday, 3 April, an opportunity to redeem themselves, though chances look slimmer, but going down with a fight is better than accepting defeat.
