France was getting the best punch from Latvia through the first half. The threes were falling and the offense was stuck. Tony Parker was struggling to get his shots to fall, settling for mid-range jumpers. Boris Diaw and Rudy Gobert were carrying the team.
Latvia had its opportunity.
Then that door shut. Parker made a few emotionally charged shots in a row. Gobert, Charles Kahudi and Joffrey Lauvergne locked down the paint. The 3-pointers stopped falling — Latvia finished 6 for 21 from beyond the arc — and that was that.