By: Jay Yeomans

Published: January 29, 2019

Jimmer Fredette delivered one of the best scoring performances of his career on Tuesday as the Shanghai Sharks overcame a slow start to knock off the Tianjin Gold Lions, 135-120.

The former BYU guard finished with a game-high 53 points on a very efficient 18-for-27 shooting from the field, including 6-for-14 from beyond the arc and 11-for-12 from the free-throw line. He added four assists, three steals, a rebound and a block in 42 minutes of work.

In a big hole midway through the second quarter, Fredette keyed a 32-6 run with some pinpoint passing and some clutch threes as the Sharks turned a 9-point deficit into a 73-56 lead at the break.

Fredette put up some huge numbers in the 73-point first half, finishing with 29 points and three helpers.

But the BYU legend was far from finished.

He added 24 more points after the break, including a 13-point third quarter and an 11-point fourth as the Sharks won for the third time in five tries to close to within a game of .500.

Chad Wiggins and G-squared Sports Management shared highlights of the wonderful performance on The Jimmer Watch YouTube channel.

Jimmer had plenty of help in the win as four other Sharks scored in double figures.

Cai Liang paced the second unit with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor and 4-for-5 from 3-point land while Luo Hanchen added 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

Yan Peng also produced at a high level, registering a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards while Luis Scola chipped in with 12 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.

Shi DeShuai led the way for the Gold Lions, totaling 35 points and 14 rebounds while Andray Blatche recorded 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.

Taylor Rochestie added 20 points, 11 assists, and four rebounds but had a tough night shooting the ball as he connected on just a quarter of his 24 shot attempts.

In 34 games, Fredette is second in the CBA in scoring, averaging 37.9 points a game on 54 percent shooting inside the arc, 42 percent from 3-point land and 94 percent from the foul line. He also contributes 5.7 rebounds, a team-best 5.6 assists and 2.9 steals in 40.3 minutes.

Inside the numbers

• The 53-point night was Fredette’s fourth 50-point game of the season and the 14th time he has gone for at least 40.
• Despite going 11-for-12 from the foul line, Fredette’s remarkable free-throw percentage actually dropped. He has now missed 15 free throws this season.
• With three more steals, Fredette continues to hold the league lead in thefts per game.

Up next

Up next for Fredette and the Sharks is a Friday night matchup with the slumping Qingdao Eagles who sit at just 11-26 on the season.

While the Eagles’ record doesn’t look like much, they do have a pair of dynamic imports who can cause all kinds of problems for the Sharks.

Jonathan Gibson is the main threat from the outside, averaging 34.5 points a night while connecting on nearly four triples a game. As for who dominates the paint, that is former Kentucky big man Dakari Johnson. Johnson is a rebounding machine who knows how to put the ball in the basket from up close. In his first season in the CBA, he is averaging 22.5 points and 14.8 rebounds a night and has already registered 31 double-doubles.