On Friday, August 29, the Latvian men’s national basketball team secured its first victory at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 final tournament, defeating Estonia in a dramatic Baltic duel – 72:70 (17:21, 38:42, 63:61). The game took place in a fantastic atmosphere. On Saturday, August 30, at 18:00, Latvia will face powerhouse Serbia.
Game storyline:
4:11 (4’), 12:16 (8’), 17:19 (10’), 17:29 (13’), 36:37 (19’), 41:53 (23’), 49:52 (26’), 57:61 (28’), 66:61 (38’), 71:64 (40’), 71:68, 72:68, 72:70.
From the opening seconds, Estonia employed highly aggressive defense. Latvia struggled to respond with accurate three-point shooting and failed to fully exploit its size advantage in the paint. Until midway through the third quarter, the initiative often belonged to Estonia, but Latvia’s tough defensive work prevented their opponents from pulling away decisively, while gradually more effective offensive solutions were found.
Decisive moment:
In the middle of the third quarter, Artūrs Žagars sparked the offense with 5 points, while late in the game Kristers Zoriks, after strong defensive plays by the team, hit a crucial three-pointer – giving Latvia the lead for the second time in as many games. In the final ten minutes, every single basket and every defensive stand proved vital.
Key stats:
Three-pointers: 6/33 – 10/28 (Estonia by quarters: 4/6, 2/6, 2/6, 2/10).
Two-pointers: 16/26 – 11/26.
Kristaps Porziņģis scored 26 points (2P: 8/12, 3P: 0/4, FT: 10/13) with an efficiency rating of 22. Artūrs Žagars dished out 6 assists, efficiency 16. Dāvis Bertāns, in his first-ever national team game without a made three-pointer (!), contributed 6 points, 11 rebounds, and posted the team’s second-best efficiency rating (17).
Source: latvijav.basket.lv
