Champions Latvia kick off with solid win over Lithuania

Latvia got off to the perfect start in their quest to retain the 3x3 men's basketball title they won on the sport's debut in Tokyo by beating Lithuania 21-14 in their first match of the Paris Olympics pool stage on Tuesday.

Tokyo gold medallists "Batman" Karlis Lasmanis and "Robin" Nauris Miezis scored 16 points, including five two-pointers from long range, to drive Latvia to victory in the sweltering heat of the iconic Place de la Concorde.

On the women's side, defending champions the United States suffered a 17-13 upset at the hands of Germany in the first contest of the competition despite jumping out to an early five-point lead.

In the other early matches, the powerful Canadian women's team beat Australia 22-14, while the Netherlands men's team downed China 21-16.

The 3x3, a codified version of pick-up basketball that has been played on streets and in school gyms for decades, is like standard basketball, but played on a half-size court with three players on each side instead of five.

Regular baskets are worth one point, while sinking a bucket from beyond the three-point line of standard basketball gives you two.

The 10-minute time limit and 12-second shot clock give the game a frenetic feel, while courtside DJs are a call-back to the sport's urban, street roots.

The action continues with four more games in the evening session.