Latvia made an amazing run in its maiden campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Slick-passing guard Artūrs Žagars made it extra memorable with a remarkable performance for the books.
The Latvians turned their more experienced Baltic neighbor Lithuania look like the wet-behind-the-ears squad as Zagars feasted with highlight reel-worthy record assists in a 98-63 blowout in the battle for fifth place Saturday night at the surprisingly packed Mall of Asia Arena.
Zagars set a new World Cup high after dishing out 17 assists shattering the previous record of 15 set by former Chicago Bulls star Toni Kukoc of Croatia back in 1994 and South Sudan’s Carlik Jones earlier in the 2023 tournament.
“I mean I was just passing the ball and my teammates made the shots early in the first half as well. That’s that,” Zagars, who went undrafted in the 2022 National Basketball Association Draft, said.
“That’s simple I just passed the ball and they made the shots. Obviously, I’m grateful and thankful [but] it means more that we finished top 5 than the record though,” he added.
The 23-year-old playmaker did not commit a turnover, becoming the first player to end a FIBA World Cup game with 12+ assists while never turning the ball over.
Zagars considered it to be an honor to be listed among some of the best court generals in the World Cup. Only Spain’s Ricky Rubio (82) has dished out more assists than Žagars (59) in the FIBA World Cup before turning 24 years old.
“Those are some big names. This is the World Cup, the highest stage you can play every four years. This is my first experience with the national team in any kind of tournament. I am so thankful that we could do this,” Zagars said.
Latvia schooled Lithuania, which handed the mighty United States its first in the tournament to end the second round, leading by as much as 38 points.
Zagars, who sank all of his four points from the free throw line after going 0-of-7 from the field, made his teammates look good with his dimes as four Latvians scored in double figures.
“I don’t wanna judge just a specific performance, I’m more into the tournament,” Latvia coach Luca Banchi said.
“I believe Arturs played a solid tournament with a big responsibility. He was in big shoes, as we used to say, because it’s his first time in a World Cup, first time as a starter in a men’s national team, in such a competition, you know, replacing an iconic player like Janis Strelnieks, not easy.”
