Serbia protected its home court vs Latvia in the opener of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers (101-100).
In a game with 14 lead changes and where no team led by more than eight points, the Serbians stood tall and started the Qualifiers with a big home win.
Rihards Lomazs (game-high 33 points) brought Latvia a step away from overtime, tying the game at 100. Yet, Marko Jagodic made one free throw in the final play and handed his team the victory. Milos Teodosic led the way for the winners, with 21 points and nine assists.
Serbia (1-0) and Latvia (0-1) will now face Belgium (November 28) and Slovakia (November 29), respectively. Earlier today, Belgium dominated Slovakia on the road (57-83).
In Group B, Great Britain and Belarus stunned Greece (78-69) and Turkey (84-70), respectively. Greece will now play Belarus, while Turkey will host Great Britain. Both games will take place on Sunday.
In Group C, Sweden defeated Finland at home (72-62), while Slovenia survived a late thriller vs Croatia on the road (74-76). On Sunday, Finland will face Croatia and Slovenia will host Sweden.
Finally, in Group D, Israel earned the victory vs Poland (69-61) and Estonia edged Germany (69-66). On Sunday, Poland will clash with Germany, with Estonia hosting Israel.
