Israel's Collapse Against Latvia: World Cup Dreams End
The scoreline says 85–70 to Latvia. It doesn’t tell the whole story of how Israel built a double‑digit lead, lost its grip on the game, and with it, any remaining hope of reaching the World Cup.
This was supposed to be a response to the humiliation against Poland. For a quarter and a half in Riga, it looked like one. Then the lights went out.
Bright start, false promise
Ariel Beit-Halahmy went with Yair Kravits, Yam Madar, Netanel Artzi, Lior Carreira, and Roman Sorkin. The group came out sharp. Carreira opened with a three, Madar sliced through for a fast-break finish, and Israel jumped to a 5–2 lead, playing with pace and confidence.
Latvia answered through Kristers Zoriks, who flipped the score to 11–7, but Israel didn’t blink. Artzi buried a three. Sorkin got on the board inside. Kravits pushed the tempo and tied it at 15–15. Off the bench, Eitan Borg injected energy with two strong plays, and Israel ended the first quarter 22–21 ahead, looking composed and organized.
The momentum carried into the second quarter. The second unit stayed on, and immediately delivered: back-to-back threes from Noam Palatin and Borg stretched the lead to 28–24. Every Latvian mini-run met a response. Madar drove hard to the rim, Carreira floated one in, and the gap hovered in Israel’s favor.
Then the frontcourt took over. Sorkin and Itay Segev ramped up the physicality under the basket, attacking the glass, finishing through contact, and suddenly the lead swelled into double figures. At one point, Israel were 10 and then 11 points clear, dictating the terms in a hostile arena.
And then, almost without warning, the system crashed.
From control to freefall
The offense stalled. Possessions slowed, the ball stopped moving, and Latvia sensed weakness. Zoriks, who had been Latvia’s most reliable option all night, kept coming. Drives, pull-ups, smart decisions. The Israeli advantage, built so carefully, vanished in a blur.
By halftime, the scoreboard read 41–41. The 11-point cushion was gone. Madar led Israel with just 7 points, Borg added 6, but the bigger story was the shift in mood. Latvia went to the locker room believing. Israel went in searching for answers.
The third quarter delivered the knockout.
Artzi opened with a three and then hit a tough basket to push Israel back in front, 46–41. It felt like a reset, a chance to steady the ship. Instead, it was the last breath before the plunge.
Latvia drew level again. From there, the game split into two clear stories: on one side, Madar and Sorkin trying to keep Israel afloat; on the other, Arturs Strautins tearing the game apart.
Strautins put on the performance of his life. He scored from everywhere — threes, drives, mid-range — and every make seemed to drain a little more belief from the visitors. Israel’s offense, already fragile, completely jammed. Open looks rimmed out, rushed shots missed badly, and the defense offered no resistance to Latvia’s growing rhythm.
Rihards Lomazs found his touch, adding another scoring threat on the perimeter. The gap grew to 58–52. Artzi hit again to keep it at six and reached double digits personally, but Strautins simply refused to let Israel back in. He closed a dominant quarter with yet another three, and Latvia walked into the final period leading 67–58, full control in their hands.
Garbage time in a must-win game
Israel needed a response in the fourth. Instead, they unraveled.
Latvia came out aggressive, extended the lead to 14, and Beit-Halahmy’s team had nothing left. Sorkin missed an uncontested dunk. Madar, the one consistent offensive threat, suddenly couldn’t buy a basket. Every Latvian miss turned into a second chance as the hosts pounded the glass and turned rebounds into easy points.
The margin ballooned to 78–62. From there, it was extended garbage time — in a game Israel could not afford to lose.
Latvia closed it out with ease, 85–70, a routine finish to a night that had once promised so much more for the visitors.
Numbers that tell the story
Strautins headlined the night with a career-best 29 points, the clear difference-maker. Lomazs added 18, Zoriks 16, the trio carrying an otherwise unspectacular Latvian side.
On the Israeli side, the box score underlined the problems. Madar finished with 15 points, Artzi with 11. Sorkin and Segev chipped in 9 apiece, Borg had 8, Carreira 7. Beyond that, the production dried up. Khadeen Carrington endured a nightmare evening: 2 points on 1-of-8 from the field, never able to impact the game.
A campaign in ruins
This wasn’t just another loss. It capped a weak qualifying campaign, followed a heavy beating by Poland, and came against a Latvian team that, while solid, hardly looked like a juggernaut.
Israel not only lost the game; it surrendered a double-digit lead, lost its composure, and left Riga without a World Cup ticket and with a long list of uncomfortable questions.
Where does this national team go from here?
