Yao scored eight of his 10 field goals and was 71 percent from the free throw line. He also had five rebounds and was impressive running down the court, showing no sign of discomfort from the stress fracture in his left foot that ended his NBA season in February and threatened his Olympic participation.

Yao returned to light training late last month after X-rays and an MRI scan taken in Houston showed his recovery was on schedule, at about 80 percent healed. Such injuries usually take a year to fully heal.

China coach Jonas Kazlauskas said he would continue to play Yao for 25-30 minutes per game, but would also rely on former Dallas Mavericks center Wang Zhizhi to fill gaps. Wang shot 40 percent from the field for just five points in about 22 minutes, while power forward Yi Jianlian, recently acquired by the New Jersey Nets, had 11 points.

"Of course we always expect more from our big men," the Lithuanian coach said.

In another game, defending Olympic champion Argentina earned an 81-71 win over Iran, which is making its first Olympic basketball appearance since 1948.

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