The Chinese men's national basketball team endured their second consecutive defeat after losing to France 88-60  in the second round of the group phase at the ongoing 2016 Rio Games on Monday.

"We played a decent game, and showed our mentality. We wanted to show our best self in the game, but we had to admit the gap between the two sides," China's national head coach Gong Luming said. "We had 60 points, which showed our poor performance in the offensive end."

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Former NBA player Yi Jianlian led the Chinese team with team-high 19 points and pulled down six rebounds while Memphis Grizzlies 2016 recruit Wang Zhelin finished the game with 11 markers.

According to Xinhua, both teams were tied several times following the tip-off in the opening quarter. However, the French team staged a 9-4 run and led by five points to claim the first period 19-14.

NBA players Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw hit consecutive treys, earning their team a 23-9 second quarter outburst. The Frenchmen once led by 27 points midway through the third period, before the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship kings chopped the deficit to 18 points.

China, which will be facing Venezuela on Wednesday, was placed in Group A, the "Death Group", with Australia, Serbia, Venezuela, France, and the USA. The Chinese squad was beaten by the Americans with a 57-point margin in the opening match, China Gate reported.

"For us, every game is crucial, and we will try our best in the next three group games. Actually, these games are the most important for the team during the past three years," said Gong.

Meanwhile, Venezuela limited the United States to an 18-18 first quarter. However, the world No. 1 basketball team enjoyed a 30-8 second quarter to pull away.

Five American players hit double-digit points, led by Paul George's 20. Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant chipped in with 17 and 16 points respectively.

TagsYi Jianlian, NBA, chinese men's national basketball team, Rio Olympics 2016, USA Basketball