Latvia’s men’s basketball team opened its preparations for the 2025 European Championship with a 75–91 loss to Italy in Trieste on Saturday evening. Kristaps Porziņģis, playing his first game for the national team since August 2022, and Kristers Zoriks led Latvia with 14 points each. Dāvis Bertāns added 13 points, Rihards Lomažs scored 12, and Rolands Šmits finished with 10. Head coach Luca Banchi used all 14 players on the roster, with the starting five featuring Artūrs Žagars, Lomažs, Mārcis Šteinbergs, Bertāns, and Porziņģis.

The game began with Italy scoring the first seven points before Bertāns’ three-pointer put Latvia on the board. Latvia’s early offense came entirely from beyond the arc, and a quick run capped by Porziņģis’ free throws gave them a 17 – 12 lead. Italy responded with a 10 – 0 run to go up by 10, but Latvia fought back with a 9 – 0 surge, cutting the gap to a single point. At halftime, the Italians held a slim 46 – 43 advantage.

Latvia started the second half strong with a 10 – 0 run to lead 53 – 46, but momentum quickly shifted again as Italy answered with a 9 – 0 run of its own. After briefly regaining the lead through Dairis Bertāns’ three-pointer (63 – 62), Latvia stalled offensively. Italy closed the third quarter ahead 69 – 63 and opened the final period with an 18 – 0 run that put the game out of reach. Zoriks stopped the drought with a layup, but the gap remained in double digits until the final buzzer.

This was Latvia’s first warm-up game of the summer. Italy had already defeated Iceland and Senegal in earlier friendlies. The two sides last met at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where Latvia claimed an 87 – 82 victory in the classification round. Latvia will continue its preparation with four more friendlies – against Lithuania and Slovenia in Riga, then against Greece and Italy in Athens – before entering the EuroBasket group stage in Riga against Serbia, Turkey, Czechia, Portugal, and Estonia.