Neptūnas Klaipėda saw off Šilutė 73-70 in the NKL, a result that keeps the hosts firmly in the hunt for a higher finish. The home side, sitting ninth after 32 games with 17 wins, managed to rescue a point against a visitors' side that has not won since their last outing. Three losses from their last five games suggest Šilutė are finding their footing harder than expected.
By then, the visitors had already shown they could score. Eighty to seventy-two against Vilnius Stekas on October third had looked promising, but since then the run has stalled. Sixty to seventy-three at home to Kedainai on the sixth of October was the first crack, and since that game they have not tasted victory. The form line is clear enough.
For Neptūnas, the recent record tells a different story. Ninety-one to seventy-six against Kretinga on the first of October was their most convincing result, but losses to Šakiai Vytais and Omega-Tauras have kept them honest. Seventy-nine to seventy-one against Sudeva-Mantingas in May was a win, yet the pattern of the season shows inconsistency rather than dominance.
The final score reflects a game decided in moments, not a comprehensive display. Seventy-three points is not a high total for the NKL, and seventy for the visitors means Šilutė kept things close without finding that extra gear. To be fair, both sides had chances, but neither could pull away when it mattered. The margin of three points suggests the decisive exchanges came late.
What this means for the table is modest but meaningful. Neptūnas remain in the middle tier, still capable of pushing for a better position if they can string wins together. Šilutė stay in twelfth, and the gap between them and the teams above is not closing. With 15 losses already, the visitors have little room for error if they want to avoid a low finish.
