Gailītis after loss to Estonia: We can play better

Latvia's men's national basketball team suffered a 78-88 defeat to Estonia in a friendly game held in Tallinn on Friday, June 27. The match marked the debut of head coach Jānis Gailītis.

The visitors started strong, taking a 10-1 lead within the first two minutes. However, Estonia responded with accurate three-point shooting, hitting 10 of 18 from beyond the arc in the first half compared to Latvia's 5 of 15, and took control of the game. Latvia briefly regained the lead late in the third quarter (60:59), but inconsistency in lineup changes allowed Estonia to build a 14-point advantage.

Captain Rihards Lomažs led Latvia with 19 points, Mārtiņš Laksa added 16, and Artūrs Strautiņš contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. Latvia dominated in points from the paint (18-8) but struggled at the free-throw line, making 10 of 20 attempts versus Estonia's 18 of 37. Overall, the team hit 10 of 33 three-pointers, while Estonia made 14 of 29.

After the game, Gailītis emphasized that the team can perform better, especially defensively, which he described as mediocre. He praised the debut of Ričards Aizpurs and noted that fitness levels will improve. Captain Lomažs called the game a good test and stressed the need to learn from it.

Latvia was without Mārcis Šteinbergs, Rolands Šmits, and Artūrs Žagars. Debutants included Kristians Feierbergs, Ričards Aizpurs, and Gunārs Grīnvalds.

The next friendly is against Georgia on Sunday, June 28, at 7 PM at Xiaomi Arena in Riga. In July, the team will face the Netherlands (July 3, away) and Austria (July 6, home) in crucial World Cup qualifiers.