China changed their starting backcourt pair to Fang Shuo, who is able to shoot from the 3-point line, and Sun Minghui, who's known for his defense skills. Fang was on fire in the first quarter, scoring three 3-pointers.

Coach Li Nan also replaced Yi Jianlian with Wang Zhelin, who did well at protecting rebounds. Before he went to the bench, China were leading in rebounding 7-5.

China played the best Q1 in this World Cup thanks to better decisiveness and focus. In offense, perimeter players never hesitated to take open shots and everyone was vigilant for offensive rebounds.

In defense, Chinese players were fast enough to double-team their Nigerian opponents who broke into the paint, forcing them to make uncomfortable passes and trying to steal the ball for transition attacks. Thanks to this, China managed to lead in Q1 21-19.