Lithuania vs Ukraine

With the score tied at 80–80 entering the final five minutes, Ukraine orchestrated a decisive 8–2 run built on offensive rebounds and kick-out threes. Lithuania called a timeout to stem the momentum but could not close the gap below two possessions in the dying seconds. Ukraine's ability to secure defensive boards and convert from the stripe proved the difference.

Kasparas Jakučionis (Lithuania) – The 20-year-old Miami Heat guard, traded to Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the week, announced his arrival with a double-double in his senior debut. He controlled the tempo, found teammates in transition, and showed the floor vision that made him a first-round NBA pick.

Matas Buzelis (Lithuania) – The Chicago Bulls forward brought energy and athleticism off the wing. His powerful dunk in the third quarter was the individual highlight of the match, and he contributed across the box score in 20+ minutes of action.

Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania) – The veteran centre and team captain provided his usual reliable presence in the paint, anchoring Lithuania's defence and generating second-chance opportunities on the offensive glass.

Ukraine's collective effort — multiple contributors reaching double figures — made them difficult to contain. Their depth, particularly in the backcourt, allowed Bagatskis to rotate freely without dropping intensity.

Official player-of-the-match honours were not published at the time of writing.

Final score: 96–92 reflects a game that was close throughout — neither team led by more than 8 points. While detailed quarter-by-quarter splits and shooting percentages were not publicly available from this friendly, the narrow margin suggests both sides treated the match as meaningful preparation rather than a mere tune-up.

Lithuania cycled through their roster liberally, with three players (Augustas Marčiulionis, Matas Jogėla, Regimantas Miniotas) sitting out entirely, indicating Kurtinaitis was more focused on seeing combinations ahead of the July 2 qualifier against Great Britain.

The result carries no competitive weight in a friendly, but for Lithuania it provided a first live test for a squad integrating two high-profile NBA rookies. The team next faces Great Britain in Klaipėda on July 2 in a 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier, followed by an away qualifier against Italy in Bologna on July 5.

Ukraine, who also played Angola on June 25 (result unconfirmed at time of writing), continue their own qualifying campaign against Georgia on July 2 and Denmark on July 5.

For a betting audience, the narrow defeat against a physical Ukrainian side — missing several rotation players — offers a reality check on Lithuania's form trajectory ahead of competitive fixtures.

A genuinely useful workout for both sides. Jakučionis and Buzelis showed enough to justify the hype, but the loss exposed Lithuania's need for sharper execution in crunch-time against disciplined opponents. Ukraine, well-drilled under Bagatskis, will take genuine confidence into their upcoming qualifiers.