Gailītis praises Strautiņš after Latvia's convincing win over Israel

Latvia's men's national basketball team secured a convincing win over Israel in Riga on August 30, in the second game of the second round of 2027 World Cup qualifying. Head coach Jānis Gailītis told reporters after the match that strong defensive play in the third and fourth quarters was key to the result.

The coach singled out Artūrs Strautiņš, who scored 29 points, for special praise. Gailītis said Strautiņš has enough skill to play in the Euroleague at some point in his career, and that his performance gave the rest of the team confidence. The coach also noted that the sold-out arena, following the team's previous loss, helped players feel the strength of the community they represent.

A contrast with the loss to Croatia

The day before, Latvia had lost 80:115 away to Croatia, but held Israel to just 70 points. Gailītis explained that Croatia and Israel were teams of different caliber. Against Croatia, Latvia tried to set an aggressive tone but held back out of respect for the opponent's star players, which he said contributed to the team's struggles. Against Israel, the team played in a more disciplined and conservative manner.

Gailītis, who has led the national team since late March, stressed the importance of team culture and mentality during this period. He also noted that three or four players competed despite fairly serious health issues, raising questions about the availability of other squad members.

Captain Rihards Lomažs described the win as a relief after the loss to Croatia, saying the team showed character already by the end of the first half, when a run helped level the score after falling behind.

In Group K, after eight games, Germany, Croatia and Poland each have seven wins, Latvia has four, while the Netherlands and Israel have two wins each and can no longer reach the final tournament.