JAKARTA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Taipei beat Japan 71-65 in the preliminary round of the men’s basketball here on Tuesday, in the first basketball match to be played at the 2018 Asian Games.

With a team featuring several CBA players, Chinese Taipei overcame a 30-37 deficit to register a score of 29-16 in the third quarter. CBA stars Chen Yingchun from Guangzhou and Zhejiang's Liu Cheng together contributed 32 points.

In the day’s other three preliminary round matches, Thailand edged Mongolia by the narrow margin of 87-86, Qatar defeated Hong Kong 90-80, and South Korea overwhelmed hosts Indonesia 104-65.

China's men’s basketball team are to face the Philippines on August 21, while the Chinese women's team will open against Thailand on Wednesday.

All basketball matches at the 2018 Asian Games will be held in Jakarta from August 14 to September 1. This will also be the first Asian Games to feature the 3x3 variant of the sport in addition to the traditional five-a-side form of the game. Basketball is one of the few sports to begin ahead of the official opening ceremony on August 18. Enditem