Gailītis After Loss to Georgia: We Didn't Play the End of the Game the Way We Wanted

In a friendly game held in Riga on Sunday, the Latvian men's basketball team suffered a 77-87 defeat against Georgia. After the match, head coach Jānis Gailītis told a press conference that although the start of the game was mediocre, the team improved in the second half, but could not finish as planned.

"We didn't play the end of the game the way we wanted. One of the things we discussed was that we need to learn how to win games, but this time we didn't manage to do that. In the last five minutes, we made poor decisions," Gailītis said.

The coach noted that it would be unfair to judge the team's readiness too harshly, given that they are only in the first week of their summer training camp. He emphasized that the players tried, but some were too cautious. Regarding the big men, Gailītis highlighted Roberts Blumberg, who he said looked good and performed his tasks successfully.

"These tall players have never been point machines for us, but they can help the smaller players. I have no complaints about their performance," Gailītis added.

However, Gailītis expects more from point guard Artūrs Žagars, who played his first game of the summer. The coach acknowledged that he had a conversation with Žagars – there were too many turnovers, fewer assists, and a lack of rhythm and communication. "Part of the responsibility for that must be taken by the key players," Gailītis concluded.

Team captain Rihards Lomažs commented that the team's performance was uneven, which is normal at this stage of the camp. "We always want to win, today it didn't work out, but our main games are still ahead. We definitely lack some understanding and rhythm, but that can be regained in training. Nothing tragic has happened," Lomažs said.

The Latvian team lost to Estonia 78-88 two days earlier in Tallinn. Latvia will face the Netherlands away on June 27 and Austria at home in Riga on July 6 in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Lomažs noted that the team has not yet started preparing for these opponents but recalled that the Netherlands play fast and physical basketball. In Group F after four games, Poland has four wins, the Netherlands two, Latvia and Austria one each.