KNBL final stretch as teams battle for top positions

With just a few matches remaining in the regular season, the race for the top eight spots in the Kenya National Basketball League continues to gain momentum.

With top eight teams guaranteed playoffs spots, teams are scrambling for points and every game matters with every basket carrying weight.

Leading the table in the men’s premier league is defending champions Nairobi City Thunder whose unbeaten record has kept them at the top of the standing with 44 points after winning all their 22 matches and now awaits the playoffs.

Former champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) followed closely with 35 points with three games to go. They have won 16 and lost three with second position guaranteed for the Dockers.

Hot on their heels are Ulinzi Warriors and Equity Dumas who will be finishing in the third and fourth position though Ulinzi will be concluding their regular season this weekend with the latter already through with their campaign with 34 points.

Ulinzi Warriors head coach Bernard Mufutu has admitted that he is not really concerned about the positioning in the regular league but rather the podium finish after the playoffs.

The soldiers will be concluding their regular season this Saturday at the Nyayo Gymnasium, Nairobi when they face off newbie in the league NBK Phoenix.

 “Sometimes, positioning during the regular season may not matter a lot but so far not in a bad place, perhaps not where we wanted to be but we are trying to focus more on a game at a time.

After our game against NBK it's playoffs time and number eight can even knock out number one and any other way. When it gets to the playoffs it’s a different ball game, another approach and each game with a different mentality so that we can see if we can achieve the ultimate goal of podium finish,” Mufutu said.

NBK on their side sit in the second last position with 24 points after playing 19 matches, winning five and losing 14.

Elsewhere, Strathmore Blades head coach Tony Ochieng is optimistic of finishing the regular season on a high note when they face giants Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) away in Mombasa at Makande Gymnasium.

The students who have had a mixture of results this season are fighting to make it to the playoffs with Saturday's game being a do or die game for them.

“We are ready for the game, nothing short of a win. My players are psyched up, we know our strengths, we know KPA’s weaknesses but my team has been very transformative and is ready to give their best. We know we are going to play in front of their fans but we have the capability of pulling a very big surprise to them,” Ochieng said.

At the same time, Ochieng is optimistic of playing in the playoffs as he emphasizes that he doesn’t fear KPA despite being a good team but only respect them.

"We know we are in the playoffs and we might meet the same KPA in the playoffs or meet Thunder, for us it's just a normal game but a win for us is our main priority now,” Ochieng added.

Strathmore Blades are currently seventh in the league standings with 29 points after playing 21 matches, winning eight and losing 13.

They are closely followed by newbies in the league Stanbic Shields and UON Terror with 28 points each in position eight and nine respectively.

Elsewhere, KPA ladies team is firmly focused on securing a top-table finish in the women’s premier league and they are not holding back with two fixtures scheduled on Saturday and Sunday at their home court, Makande Gymnasium.

Currently sitting in second position with 37 points from 19 games, winning 18 and losing one, KPA heads into the weekend determined to grab maximum points.

The Dockers will be hosting Strathmore Swords and Africa Nazarene University (ANU) Panthers on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Assistant head coach Samuel Ocholla is confident that the team is ready after what he described as “intense” and “focused” preparations.

“We’ve prepared well, we expect tough matches, and all the players are in good shape and psyched up for the upcoming matches. We are aware they won’t be easy matches as Strathmore are fighting for playoff position while ANU is fighting relegation.” Ocholla said.

After the weekend fixture, the Dockers will have their final fixture against league leaders Zetech Sparks in Nairobi as the two teams scramble to top the league in the regular season.

Zetech tops the league with 38 points from 20 matches, after winning 18 and losing two and their remaining games are against KPA and Eldonets.

Weekend Fixtures

Nyayo Gymnasium, Nairobi

Saturday, July 12

Ulinzi Warriors VS NBK Phoenix - MP- 6:00PM

Makande Gymnasium, Mombasa

KPA VS Strathmore Swords - WP- 2:00PM

KPA VS Strathmore Blades - MP- 4:00PM

Uasin Gishu Grounds, Eldoret

Eldonets VS Stanbic Aces- WP- 10:30AM

Eldonets Platinum VS Stanbic Shields- MP- 12:00PM

Sunday, July 13

KPA VS ANU Panthers – WP- 2:00PM

KPA VS ANU Wolfpacks- MP- 4:00PM

Uasin Gishu Grounds, Eldoret

Eldonets VS USIU Flames – WP- 10:30AM

Eldonets Platinum VS USIU Tigers- MP- 12:00PM