Tokyo Olympics silver medallists France were eliminated from Basketball World Cup title contention on Sunday, August 27, after losing 88-86 to Latvia.
France, who also lost their opener to Canada, did not trail in the game until Latvia took the lead with just over 30 seconds remaining in Jakarta. Arturs Zagars then nailed a free throw to put Latvia ahead by two points with 10 seconds remaining, and Sylvain Francisco missed a three-point attempt with France's final chance.
The result means France cannot finish higher than third place in Group H, ending their chances of winning the Naismith Trophy. France's Nando de Colo was ejected for two unsportsmanlike fouls late in the fourth quarter. Latvia outscored France 26-12 in the fourth quarter.
France arrived for the tournament with a squad featuring NBA stars like Minnesota's Rudy Gobert, New York's Evan Fournier and Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum. Latvia are making their tournament debut and won their opening game 109-70 against Lebanon.
France came planning to win gold. Instead, the result sent Latvia and Canada through to the second round, and meant France – which won the bronze at the last two World Cups – cannot finish better than 17th place this year.
"We let a lot of people down, ourselves first," French forward Nicolas Batum said. "Congrats to Latvia," Batum said. "They earned it. They deserved it."