QATAR officially got the ball rolling in the 20th Asian Games with a 59-53 win over Iran at the start of basketball competitions at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.
Next year's FIBA Basketball World Cup host held sway in the endgame after seeing Team Melli come roaring back from as much as a 20-point deficit.
Iran, which lost to Gilas Pilipinas in the fourth window of the World Cup qualifiers in Manila, missed the services of stalwart Mohammand Amini.
The 21-year-old Iranian, who played for the Boston Celtics in the recent NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, was not released by his French ball club SLUC Nancy Basket to Team Melli for the Asiad.
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