Gulbene edged Salaspils in a tightly contested National Basketball League (NBL) matchup on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, securing a 91-85 victory. The loss was just the fourth of the season for Salaspils.
Salaspils battled back from a 10-point deficit in the first half (11-21) to tie the game at 40-40 heading into the break. The teams continued to trade leads in the second half, with Salaspils briefly taking the lead at 78-77 five minutes before the final buzzer. However, Gulbene responded with eight consecutive points and held on for the win.
Dāvis Klegeris led Salaspils with 18 points, while Norberts Strautiņš and Reinis Otersons each added 14, and Daniels Tīde chipped in with 12. Despite the loss, Salaspils remains in second place in the NBL Eastern Group with a record of 17-4 and has one regular season game remaining.
In another NBL contest on February 25, Mārupes NSS/LU likewise suffered a defeat, falling to Bauska 91-82. The game mirrored the Salaspils contest, with Mārupes consistently overcoming 10-point deficits.
Mārupes managed to tie the game at 52-52 in the third quarter and even briefly took the lead at 61-59. With two minutes remaining, they were only down by one point (80-81), but a late surge from Bauska sealed the victory.
Ralfs Mugurevičs paced Mārupes with 17 points, followed by Emīls Mucenieks with 16 and Markuss Tēbelis with 15. Mārupes currently sits in fifth place in the NBL Western Group with a record of 13-8.
The regional basketball league’s playoff bracket is now set following the conclusion of the regular season. BK “Ādaži”/”Daily” (6th place) will face Kandavas BJSS (12th place) in the first round. The winner of that series will advance to play the winner of the matchup between “Nīca/BLi” (3rd) and BK “Saulkrasti” (14th). Siguldas sporta skolas (9th) will take on sporta klubu “Rūjiena” (7th), and Salaspils sporta skolas komanda (12th) will face Ventspils Tehnikums (4th). Mārupes sporta centra team did not qualify for the playoffs.
