RIGA (Latvia) – Latvia had long awaited the chance to play at home following their fantastic 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign, where they finished in 5th place. This year, they host the OQT in Riga, and expectations are high for the team, even though they will be without recently crowned NBA champion Kristaps Porzingis, who had to undergo surgery after the club season. Latvia didn't disappoint at the start, beating Egypt with confidence in their first preparation game of the summer. Final score - 84-63.
The story of the game
The home crowd showed up in numbers at the Arena Riga to greet their national team, and the atmosphere was rocking. Visiting Egypt played their second preparation game following a close loss to Cameroon two days ago
Latvia established their lead early on, thanks to their firm ball movement and unselfish play. The team welcomed back Janis Strelnieks, who missed last year's FIBA World Cup, and he was quick to prove his worth, orchestrating the offense and making his own shots. Luca Banchi also utilized Anzejs Pasecniks in the paint, underlining the importance of the center this summer.
The hosts reached a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but Egypt cut the gap to just 4 points by the half-time break. It was the third quarter when Latvia put Egypt beyond reach with their great defensive performance—the guests were allowed to score only 8 points throughout the quarter.
The player of the game
Strelnieks gave Latvian fans a glimpse of what they could expect this year—leadership and scoring. He came off the bench to make all three of his three-pointers and finished the game with 14 points in 16 minutes.
With Arturs Zagars taking care of the playmaking, Strelnieks can play off the ball and become the scorer in this unselfish team.
Meanwhile, Egypt's Omar El-Sheikh became the top scorer of the game with 15 points, demonstrating his physical prowess and ability to get to the rim.
The stats of the game
Latvia did what they do best: 27 team assists - the best way to illustrate it. It's been 10 months since the FIBA World Cup but Luca Banchi's men picked up right where they left off. Another stat to describe their versatile offence is Rihards Lomazs' 6 assists. And this guard isn't even considered a ball handler for the Latvian team!
However, the hosts made 14 turnovers in process, and it is something they'll need to take better care of during the OQT.
The takeaways from the game
Well, Latvia is still one very impressive basketball team. And they still play that romantic type of basketball which is so easy to fall in love with. The news about Porzingis not being able to play the OQT was a heavy blow for Latvia, but they look determined to put it behind them. After this display of solid shape Latvia look favorites to punch their Olympic ticket for the first time in almost 90 years.
As for Egypt, they can also take some positives from this game, especially their comeback in the second quarter. For the second time this summer they showed some resilience and desire to fight even when the things don't go their away. Their offense in the second half will obviously be a concern for head coach Henrik Rodl, but there's still time for them to improve before they travel to Greece for their respective OQT.
FIBA