The Wellington Saints will face the Southland Sharks in the 2026 Sal’s NBL grand final after both teams recorded convincing semifinal wins at the weekend.
The defending champion Saints powered past the top-seeded Auckland Tuatara 112-69 at Eventfinda Stadium on Saturday, booking a shot at a record-extending 14th NBL title.
Southland then defeated the Canterbury Rams 84-74 in Christchurch on Sunday to secure hosting rights for the final at Stadium Southland in Invercargill on Sunday, August 9.
The championship game will be a repeat of last year’s final, which Wellington won.
The Saints entered the playoffs as the fourth seed but have found their best form at the right time of the season.
After beating the Otago Nuggets in Thursday night’s elimination final, Wellington had a short turnaround before travelling to Auckland for the semifinal.
The Saints led the Tuatara 60-46 at halftime before taking complete control with a 33-7 third quarter.
Elijah Pepper led Wellington with 32 points and seven rebounds, while Donte Ingram added 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Carlin Davison scored 16 points and handed out six assists, Jordan Hunt contributed 15 points and nine rebounds from the bench, and Akech Aliir finished with 12 points.
Wellington dominated the rebounding battle 51-33 and committed just six turnovers across the game.
The Saints also held Auckland to 23 points in the second half as they turned a competitive opening into a 43-point victory.
Southland earned its place in the final after holding off Canterbury in a physical semifinal.
The Sharks led by as many as 17 points before the Rams fought back to level the score at 63-63 entering the final quarter.
Southland finished strongly, with Caleb Asberry scoring a game-high 26 points, including six three-pointers.
The Sharks will have home-court advantage in Invercargill, but Wellington will enter the final having won three straight games, including a victory over Southland in the final round of the regular season.
The Saints are chasing their 14th NBL championship.
