It took some time, but Spain finally overcame the challenge that China was unexpectedly giving them in the opening official game for both teams in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with a 97-81 victory. Spain is considered to be the primary challenger to Team USA with a loaded NBA roster, however China showed early on that they should not be overlooked.
In the first quarter, China held the lead early on a very impressive performance from Yi Jianlian that lasted all game long. The first quarter kept things close, but it was in the middle of the action that Spain finally took over. Again, China came out of the half with another spurt, but Spain pulled away in the end. It seemed that China had the right adjustments to make when they could regroup, but Spain's sheer talent was too much to overcome.
Serge Ibaka had 17 points for Spain and Pau Gasol led the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds. China was paced by Jianlian's 30 points and 12 rebounds.
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