The Nairobi City Thunder saved their best performance until last to secure their first win of the season, with Garang Diing proving to be the key to their victory over the Johannesburg Giants.
With the score tied at 52-52 at the end of the third quarter, the Thunder tasked Diing with taking control, and the South Sudanese player did not disappoint.
He scored 12 of his 24 game-high points in the fourth quarter, securing a 71-65 victory for the Nairobi City Thunder.
Backed an enthusiastic home crowd, the Giants found themselves trailing by double digits but managed a 7-0 scoring run to relaunch their chances in the third, but the Thunder’s tenacity and desperation proved challenging to overcome.
Tylor Ongwae and Lance Thomas, the other two Thunder players to score in double digits, finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
City Thunder guard Eugene Adera who was part of the squad that felt short to reaching postseason in 2024, insisted that beating Giants was the boost they needed: ‘It’s an amazing feeling because we really needed this win.’
‘After losing the first game, we knew this was a must-win as they were playing in front of their home fans.’
With the win, the Thunder improved to 1-1 with three games left in the Kalahari Conference.
‘Our goal is still to make the playoffs. The upcoming games will be tough, but we want to win them all,’ Adera explained.
Asked to elaborate on the Giants’ challenge, Adera said that they just needed to keep their composure.
‘By the end of the third quarter, we just had to keep our focus, run our sets and plays, and that’s what we did. We have a great team. We have been playing together for a couple of years now. It’s like a brotherhood.’
Jakobi Heady led the Giants with 20 points.
Joshua Ozabor, who contributed 18 points to the Giants, remained confident for the remaining of the Conference. ‘
‘We got to the third set, but our defence was a bit off there. We adjusted our defence, but we didn’t rotate properly. Our players gave their all.’
‘We still have a chance. Let’s put the first two games behind us — the next three will be tough battles, but we’ll be ready,’ Ozabor explained.
