RIGA (Latvia) - Lithuania edged neighbors Latvia 109-105 in a thrilling overtime clash, as Kristaps Porzingis and Jonas Valanciunas faced off in front of over 11,000 in attendance.
Rokas Jokubaitis forced overtime for Lithuania as his bucket tied the game at 93-93. From there, the visitors enjoyed the upper hand in the extra period to secure a hard-fought win. Valanciunas had 16 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes.
With Arturs Zagars, Martins Laksa, and Rodions Kurucs nursing injuries, Latvia were a bit lighter than they had hoped. However, Porzingis was outstanding, contributing 22 points and 5 assists for Latvia and Rihards Lomazs led had a game-high 27 points with five triples.
Top performers: Aside from the showings of Porzingis and Valanciunas, Lomazs stood out for Latvia with 27 points Jokubaitis, whose heroics kept Lithuania in the game, had 20 points on 57 percent shooting. Up next: Both teams will face Slovenia as their preparation for EuroBasket continues. Latvia stays in Riga to play the Slovenians on Saturday, August 15. Lithuania will play them first up on Friday.
Other Games
Spain 67-75 France
France struck the opening blow by beating EuroBasket holders Spain 75-67 in Badalona in the first of two games between these two European heavyweights. Jaylen Hoard, Guerschon Yabusele, and Zaccharie Risacher starred for France, which led for the majority of the game as it went 3-0 in its preparation for EuroBasket, with Spain going 1-2. Hoard led France with 13 points, with Yabusele and Risacher adding 12 points each. Willy Hernangomez paced Spain with 15.
Greece 69-61 Montenegro
Greece had to come from behind to beat Montenegro 69-61 in Thessaloniki as they secured their second win in their EuroBasket preparations. After trailing for the majority of the game, a 24-10 fourth quarter turned the tide the other way, as Kostas Mitoglou led the winners with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic paced Montenegro with 13 points and 7 boards.
Poland 94-89 Georgia
Poland battled to outlast Georgia 94-89 in a closely fought battle in Sosnowiec. Poland has now improved to 3-3 in their warm-ups for EuroBasket, whereas Georgia remains winless in their four games played. Michal Michalak led Poland with 17 points as they shot 55 percent from the field. Giorgi Shermadini led Georgia with 18.
Italy 84-72 Argentina
Simone Fontecchio starred for Italy as they toppled South American giants Argentina 84-72 to remain unbeaten after four warm-up games ahead of EuroBasket. Fontecchio enjoyed a haul of 19 points and 3 steals as the Italians shot a respectable 45 percent from the field and forced Argentina into 21 turnovers, showcasing their defensive prowess.
Sweden 70-73 Iceland
Iceland secured a slender 73-70 win over Sweden in Braga, Portugal. Jon Axel Gudmundsson led Iceland with 15 points and Tryggvi Hlinason added a 10-point and 12-rebound double-double, as they bagged their first win in preparation for EuroBasket in their third game. Pelle Larson led Sweden with 18 points, and Simon Birgander had a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds, but they suffered their second loss in their third warm-up game.
Team | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|
Italy | 4-0 | 100% |
Lithuania | 4-0 | 100% |
Serbia | 4-0 | 100% |
France | 3-0 | 100% |
Finland | 2-0 | 100% |
Germany | 2-0 | 100% |
Israel | 3-1 | 75% |
Estonia | 2-1 | 67% |
Poland | 3-3 | 50% |
Greece | 2-2 | 50% |
Iceland | 1-2 | 33% |
Montenegro | 1-2 | 33% |
Portugal | 1-2 | 33% |
Spain | 1-2 | 33% |
Sweden | 1-2 | 33% |
Great Britain | 0-1 | 0% |
Türkiye | 0-1 | 0% |
Cyprus | 0-2 | 0% |
Czechia | 0-2 | 0% |
Latvia | 0-2 | 0% |
Slovenia | 0-2 | 0% |
Belgium | 0-3 | 0% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0-4 | 0% |
Georgia | 0-4 | 0% |
FIBA