Zhang Zhenlin (right) dunks during China's Group B defeat against Serbia at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, the Philippines on Aug 26, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

MANILA - China lost to Group B favorites Serbia 105-63 in their 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup opener here on Saturday.

Zhao Rui scored a team-high 17 points for China, and Zhou Qi made all six attempts to add 12. Li Kaier went scoreless from nine attempts, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists.

All 12 Serbian players had points on the stats, led by 14 apiece from Bogdan Bogdanovic and Vanja Marinkovic.

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Zhou took the game's first points with a jumper near the baseline, followed by Zhang Zhenlin's four-point play. However, led by Stefan Jovic and Nikola Milutinov, Serbia soon put China into a tough situation and wrapped up the first quarter with a double-digit advantage.

For the most part of the first half, China's guards had difficulty connecting with Zhou in the paint, while Serbia took their chances to convert steals into points.

With ball rotation stuck, China reinforced their drives but they seemed only to work for starting guard Zhao. Zhou seized a couple of chances to net putbacks and lobs, but Serbia, whose 10 players scored in the first 20 minutes, were unstoppable. The deficit was soon increased to 30 points by the end of the third quarter, after which the game went into garbage time.

Serbia head coach Svetislav Pesic praised his side's defense. "We are a new team and we didn't have enough time. That's the reason to use this game to improve our techniques. Every quarter is important and the third quarter can change destiny."

With ball rotation stuck, China reinforced their drives but they seemed only to work for starting guard Zhao. Zhou seized a couple of chances to net putbacks and lobs, but Serbia, whose 10 players scored in the first 20 minutes, were unstoppable

"New situation for him, his first time to play FIBA basketball [in a] smaller court," Pesic commented on Li Kaier's performance, adding that "he has excellent ball-handling. But he still has to find his rhythm."

China center Wang Zhelin, who scored five points but conceded three turnovers, said the team suffered a lot of pressure from their opponents. "This is our very first game and we suffered from both ends. We will come back with better preparation," he said.

"This is obviously a great game for Serbia, all of them are ready at an exceptional level," said China head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic.

"We prepared ourselves, [which] I believe [is] good, but in the moment when things don't go [well], we had a tendency to put our shoulders down and don't respond right away," said Djordjevic, adding "We just [need to] continue with our fight."

China now faces South Sudan on August 28. In an earlier match on Saturday, Puerto Rico nosed out South Sudan 101-96 in overtime. 

Nikola Vucevic showcased his dominance on the FIBA court as the Chicago Bulls center lifted Montenegro to a 91-71 opening victory over Mexico in the FIBA World Cup here on Friday, while the Philippines conceded a narrow defeat in front of their home fans.

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The 2023 FIBA World Cup, co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, features 32 teams in eight groups.

In Group D, Montenegro and Mexico were tied at 19-19 after the first quarter, before Montenegro opened up a nine-point lead at the break. After Petar Popovic made back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter, Montenegro raced into a 16-point lead. There was no miracle in the fourth quarter as Bosko Radovic's men protected their lead.

Vucevic registered a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Kendrick Perry provided 16 points. Pako Cruz led Mexico with 16.

"It was very important to start the tournament with a win against a team that doesn't necessarily suit us. They played fast, high tempo, but we responded well. Everything we talked about in the last couple of days as a team, in the meetings and practices, we executed really well. It's a very good win, although we started a little bit nervous," said Vucevic.

In another Group D fixture, Egypt posed no real threat to Lithuania as the European powerhouses led all the way to a 93-67 win.

Italy survived from a scare as Angola showed their resilience in the first three quarters, but Italy grabbed an 81-67 victory in the Group A curtain raiser, with Simone Fontecchio picking up 19 points and five rebounds.

After almost four tight quarters, the Philippines collapsed in the closing stages and conceded an 87-81 defeat against the Dominican Republic.

Jordan Clarkson of the Philippines scored 28 points before fouling out, while Karl-Anthony Towns proved decisive for the Dominican Republic by delivering 26 points and 10 rebounds.

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At Japan's Okinawa Arena, Australia got off to a good start by sailing past Finland 98-72 in Group E, with 20-year-old point guard Josh Giddey taking center stage with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, becoming the first player to have more than 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in his first World Cup game since LeBron James in 2006.

"I had no idea, but as I always say it's cool to be in company with guys like that. But it's always about the group, it's always about the team. We're lucky to have a deep, 12-man team. I play great, I play bad, what matters is we win the game. We did that tonight. That's what makes me happy," said Giddey.

Also in Group E, with four players scoring in double digits, Germany eased past Japan 81-63. Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic provided 25 points for Germany.

In Jakarta, Latvia delighted their fans with a comfortable 109-70 victory over Lebanon in Group H, while in a later game, Canada thrashed France 95-65.