Heavyweight France had its hands full early before pulling away for an 88-70 win over Japan in a warmup on Thursday ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for world No. 5 France, while U.S.-based collegiate star Keisei Tominaga scored a game-high 20 for 36th-ranked Japan at Ariake Arena.
Tokyo Olympic silver medalist France, featuring several current and former NBA players, was World Cup co-host Japan's toughest opponent in a succession of warm-up games that culminates with a contest against Slovenia on Saturday.