Strautiņš scores 29 as Latvia beats Israel in World Cup qualifier
Latvia's men's basketball team defeated Israel 85:70 at home in Riga in a 2027 World Cup qualifying match, with Artūrs Strautiņš top-scoring with 29 points.
Latvia's men's national basketball team celebrated a home win over Israel on Sunday, August 30, in the second match of the second round of 2027 World Cup qualification. The final score was 85:70 (21:22, 20:19, 26:17, 18:12) in Latvia's favor, with Artūrs Strautiņš the game's top scorer on 29 points.
Match progress
The first quarter was closely contested, ending with a narrow lead for the visitors. Midway through the second quarter, Israel built the game's biggest lead to that point, but Latvia answered with a strong scoring run, and the sides were tied at halftime. The battle remained tight through much of the second half until Latvia pulled away in the fourth quarter, opening a 16-point advantage and holding on comfortably to the finish.
Group standings
Elsewhere in the same group on Sunday, Croatia won away against the Netherlands, while Germany beat Poland in overtime on the road. 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. In the previous round, Latvia lost away to Croatia, while Israel fell at home to Poland.
Historical context
Before Sunday's game, Latvia and Israel had met 13 times since 1992, with Latvia winning four of those encounters. The teams last played each other in 2014. Ahead of this qualifying window, Latvia lost warm-up games to both Slovenia and Ukraine, and in the Ukraine match Kārlis Šiliņš suffered an injury that also kept him out of Sunday's game against Israel.
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