Strautiņš thanks fans after Latvia's win over Israel
Latvian basketball player Artūrs Strautiņš credited fan support and posted his best-ever scoring performance for the national team after an 85:70 win over Israel in World Cup qualifying.
Latvia's men's basketball team defeated Israel 85:70 at home in Riga on August 30 in the second game of the second round of 2027 World Cup qualifying. After the match, several players shared their impressions, including Artūrs Strautiņš, who highlighted the crowd's contribution to the victory.
Fans' role and a career-best game
Strautiņš thanked the spectators who filled the Riga arena, saying it was fantastic to play in such a supportive atmosphere and that the fans gave the team an extra boost. The player himself finished the game with 29 points — his highest-scoring performance for the Latvian national team. Strautiņš also hit key shots in the final seconds of the second and third quarters, which helped shift the momentum of the game.
Rough start, stronger second half
According to the player, Latvia committed numerous turnovers in the first half, allowing Israel to take the lead, including a stretch where Latvia trailed by ten points in the second quarter. In the third and fourth quarters, the number of mistakes was cut in half, which helped secure the win. Strautiņš noted that similar issues with turnovers had also occurred in the previous game against Croatia and in warm-up matches, and the team had deliberately worked on fixing this weakness.
Defending against opposing leaders
The player noted that Israel played aggressively, singling out opponents Jam Madar and Roman Sorkin. Latvia tried to make it difficult for Israel's taller players near the basket, using double-teaming to prevent them from scoring easily.
After this game, Germany, Croatia and Poland lead Group K with seven wins in eight games. Latvia has four wins, while the Netherlands and Israel each have two wins and can no longer qualify for the final tournament.
