Israel's World Cup Dream Ends as Latvia Triumphs 85-70

For a quarter and a half in Riga, it looked like Israel had found a pulse again. Then the lights went out.

Ariel Beit-Halahmy’s team built an 11-point lead, hinted at a response to the humiliation against Poland, and then collapsed, losing 85-70 to a limited Latvia side and confirming what had felt inevitable for days: Israel will not be at the upcoming World Cup.

This was not just a defeat. It was a surrender of control.

Bright start, familiar ending

Israel opened with intent. The starting five of Yair Kravits, Yam Madar, Netanel Artzi, Lior Carreira, and Roman Sorkin came out sharp, Carreira drilling a three on the first possession and Madar racing the floor for a 5-2 edge. The ball moved, the defense had bite, and the visitors looked engaged.

Latvia, led early by Kristers Zoriks, punched back to 11-7, but Israel stayed in the fight. Artzi answered from deep, Sorkin got on the board, and Kravits kept the tempo high to drag it level at 15-15. Off the bench, Eitan Borg brought energy, stringing together two strong plays to nudge Israel in front. The first quarter closed at 22-21 to the visitors, a fragile but deserved lead.

The second period initially built on that platform. The second unit stayed on, and Israel’s shooters found their range. Back-to-back threes from Raz Palatin and Borg pushed the margin to 28-24. Latvia tried to slow the rhythm, but Madar sliced into the lane and Carreira floated in another basket to keep Israel just out in front.

Then came the best stretch of the night for the blue-and-white. Sorkin and Itay Segev ramped up the physicality under the rim, sealing off space, attacking the glass, and turning defense into easy points. The lead climbed into double figures, reaching 10 and then 11. Latvia looked rattled. The arena quieted.

And then, almost without warning, Israel stopped.

Possessions grew static. The ball stuck. Latvia sensed hesitation and attacked it. Zoriks, the one consistent Latvian threat in the first half, dragged his team back into the game. Israel’s 11-point cushion evaporated in a blur of poor shots and slower close-outs. By halftime, the scoreboard read 41-41. Madar had 7 points, Borg 6, but the momentum had changed ends of the floor.

Strautins takes over, Israel fall apart

The pattern repeated after the break. Israel again opened the quarter with a statement. Artzi buried a three, then hit a tough basket to restore a 46-41 lead. For a brief moment, it looked like the halftime reset had worked.

That illusion didn’t last.

Latvia leveled quickly and from that point, one man tore the game away from Israel. Arturs Strautins produced the night of his international career. He scored from everywhere – slashing drives, mid-range jumpers, and ruthless three-pointers – on his way to 29 points. Israel had no answer, not physically, not tactically, not emotionally.

Madar and Sorkin tried to stem the tide, trading blows with the hosts for a few possessions, but the cracks widened. Israel’s offense stalled again, possessions ending in forced attempts or late-clock heaves. On the other side, Rihards Lomazs found his rhythm, adding another headache for a defense already stretched by Strautins’ hot hand.

The gap crept to 58-52. Artzi, one of the few Israelis to play with consistent aggression, trimmed the damage and moved himself into double figures, yet the game’s direction was clear. Strautins capped a dominant third quarter with another three, pushing Latvia out to 67-58 and leaving Israel looking drained and short of ideas.

Garbage time and hard questions

The fourth quarter offered no twist, only confirmation.

Latvia came out to finish the job and did so with ease. The lead ballooned to 14, then 16. Every loose ball seemed to fall to a red jersey. Every rebound, especially on the offensive glass, turned into another dagger. Israel’s body language told the story: shoulders dropped, rotations late, communication fading.

Sorkin missed an uncontested dunk. Madar, who had carried much of the offensive burden, suddenly found no clear paths to the basket. Latvia pounced, turning second chances into points and stretching the score to 78-62. The final minutes played out as extended garbage time, the outcome long decided.

The buzzer froze the damage at 85-70, but the margin felt wider.

Madar finished with 15 points, Artzi added 11, while Sorkin and Segev chipped in 9 apiece. Borg had 8, Carreira 7. Beyond that, there was little to cling to. Khadeen Carrington’s line summed up Israel’s night on the perimeter: 2 points on 1-for-8 shooting, a performance that underlined the lack of scoring depth when the first options were squeezed.

On the other side, Strautins’ 29 led all scorers, supported by 18 from Lomazs and 16 from Zoriks. Latvia were solid rather than spectacular, but they didn’t need to be anything more. Israel handed them the game in phases – first with the squandered 11-point lead, then with the third-quarter collapse, and finally with the fourth-quarter surrender on the glass.

After a weak campaign, a heavy beating from Poland, and now a flat loss to a beatable Latvian team, the verdict is brutal and simple: no World Cup, and a national team staring at a summer of uncomfortable answers.