Latvian basketball team loses to Georgia in friendly

The Latvian men's national basketball team suffered a 77:87 defeat against Georgia in a friendly game held on Sunday in Riga. The top scorer for the home team was captain Rihards Lomažs, who recorded 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, and six drawn fouls in 29 minutes and 50 seconds on the court. Artūrs Strautiņš and Artūrs Žagars each contributed 13 points.

For Georgia, Markīzs Rīds stood out with 23 points, six rebounds, and eight assists, making 11 of 12 free throws. Goga Bitadze added 17 points and eight rebounds, while three other visitors scored 11–12 points each.

The game began with Georgia taking a 9-0 lead, but Latvia rallied to go ahead 12-9. However, Georgia responded with a 17-0 run to lead 29-15. By the end of the second quarter, Latvia had cut the deficit to 37-42. The margin hovered around ten points in the third quarter, and Latvia started the fourth with a 13-0 run to take a 69-65 lead. Georgia then answered with eight consecutive points and held on for the victory.

Latvia shot 19.2% from three-point range (5/26), while Georgia shot 34.6% (9/26). Three candidates did not play: Kristaps Ķilps, Krišs Helmanis, and Gunārs Grīnvalds.

On Friday, Latvia lost 78:88 to Estonia in Tallinn. Next up are 2027 World Cup qualifiers: away to the Netherlands on Friday and at home against Austria on July 6.