By: Jay Yeomans

Published: December 13, 2018

Jimmer Fredette delivered another massive all-around performance on Thursday night as the Shanghai Sharks improved to 13-6 with a 111-103 over the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings.

Fredette registered his third highest scoring game of the season, finishing with a game-high 48 points on 14-for-31 shooting from the field, including 6-for-16 from 3-point range and 14-for-15 from the free-throw line. He added a game-best eight assists, grabbed five rebounds and recorded four more steals in 44 minutes on the floor.

Jimmer got things going early on as the Sharks jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, scoring 12 of Shanghai’s first 24 points including a pair of big threes.

Fredette continued right where he left off in the second quarter as Shanghai took a 12-point lead into the break. After the Monkey Kings had closed the gap to six, he reasserted himself on the offensive end with a pair of a deep triples to push the lead back to double figures. He followed that up with a layup to give himself a 20-point first half.

The third quarter was much of the same for Fredette who added 12 more points on a pair of short jumpers, two threes and two free throws. As good as Jimmer was, the Monkey Kings continued to hang around thanks to some big plays from Joe Young and Isaiah Austin. They even took the lead late in the period before Fredette delivered a perfectly timed pass for a dunk to give Shanghai a one-point cushion heading into the fourth.

The final period was a highly contested one as the Monkey Kings keep making plays to keep the game close before Fredette would answer. The former BYU guard did most of his damage during the quarter at the foul line where he connected on 10 of 11 shots. He also converted on three shots from inside the arc in the 16-point quarter to finish just one bucket shy on his third 50-point game of the season.

The Sharks had four other players scoring in double figures in the win, including Luis Scola who managed 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. Luo Hanchen added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists while Wang Tong registered a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Young paced the Monkey Kings in the loss, finishing with 35 points and five assists while Austin totaled 31 points and six boards.

On the season, Fredette is tied for third in the CBA in scoring, averaging 37.9 points a night on 49.3 percent shooting from the field, 44.2 percent from beyond the arc and 95.1 percent from the foul line. He also contributes 6.1 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 3.6 steals in 41.1 minutes.

Up next for Fredette and the Sharks is a battle on Sunday with the Guangzhou Long Lions who sit in 10th place in the standings with a 10-8 record. The Long Lions are led by the American duo of Kyle Fogg and Marreese Speights. Fogg leads the way with 32.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists while Speights chips in with 24.6 points and 6.4 boards.