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.