China beat Japan 79-63 in their first 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifier game in Sendai, Japan on Saturday.

Guo Ailun and Zhou Qi of China shined more than anyone else on the floor by putting down a combination of 48 points and 16 rebounds. The only pity was that Zhou sprained his right ankle in the third quarter and did not come back in the rest of the game. He was 11-17 in field goals (FGs) to get 24 points, 12 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass and three blocks before leaving for the locker room.

Zhou was spotted going back to the hotel with help from two teammates instead of walking alone. So far there has been no update on his status, but he's likely to miss the next game against Japan on Sunday.

China's performance against Japan on Saturday was nothing but dominant. Japan only scored one FG in the first eight minutes in Q1, trailing 19-2. Such advantage not only came from the size difference inside, but also thanks to coach Du Feng's specific defensive arrangements. China choked the opponents' offensive lifeline of 3-point shooting, which Japan went only 7-35.

If Zhou misses Sunday's game, China can try a different big man pair that includes Wang Zhelin. Wang does not share Zhou's speed or agility, but he has a great power advantage and decent posting skills.

China are in Group B with Japan, Australia and Chinese Taipei for the first round of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers. The World Cup will be hosted by Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Both the Philippines and Japan have automatically qualified for the World Cup though they will continue to play in the qualifiers. That partly explained why Japan missed three of their best players, Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba. Indonesia will have to fight for a spot in the tournament.

China shouldn't have any problem making the World Cup in 2023 as one of the top three teams in Asia. The real test is for the team to achieve Olympic qualification for Paris 2024.