By: Jay Yeomans

Published: October 30, 2019

Jimmer Fredette had a solid performance on Tuesday in Moscow, but it wasn’t enough as Panathinaikos fell to Khimki Moscow Region, 103-86, in Round 5 of EuroLeague competition.

The former BYU standout finished with 16 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc while converting on his only free-throw attempt. He added three assists, two rebounds and a pair of steals in 23:37 minutes on the floor.

His first basket of the night came in the opening minutes when he put the ball on the floor and blew past his defender before finishing at the rim with an underhand scoop.

Fredette got on the board again late in the second quarter after he picked off a pass and took it coast to coast for a layup. He followed that up with another tough drive to the rim where he finished through contact for the 3-point play to give the Greens the lead. He then showed off his great court vision as he spotted teammates for a pair of layups.

Jimmer did all his damage in the second half from 3-point land including a triple in the third quarter that tied the game at 64. He added a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth as Panathinaikos made a comeback. The first one came when he curled off a screen on a set play and drilled a shot from straight away. He scored his last basket of the game only moments later when he got a steal and took the ball down the floor where he connected on a three from the right-wing.

The SPG Basket YouTube Channel shared highlights of the performance.

Alexey Shved paced Khimki in the win with 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor while handing out seven assists.

Janis Timma also had a big game with 16 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while former Utah Jazz favorite, Jeremy Evans registered a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.

Jonas Jerebko added 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the floor while Dairis Bertans chipped in with 12 points on the strength of 60 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

For Panathinaikos, Nick Calathes totaled 10 points and 11 assists while DeShaun Thomas recorded 10 points, two rebounds, and two steals.

Through five games, Fredette is averaging 15.2 points on 63.6 percent shooting from inside the arc, 37 percent from distance and 94.7 percent from the foul line. He also chips in with 2.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 23:21 a game.

Thoughts on the game

It’s really difficult to win a game on any level when you get owned on the backboards and that’s exactly what happened to Panathinaikos on Tuesday. Khimki had a 45-23 rebounding advantage, including 14-8 on the offensive end.

Another frustrating part of the game is the minutes that Jimmer gets in these tough matchups. I understand that they have some very talented guards but playing less than 24 minutes in a 40-minute game where none of the other key offensive weapons can make a shot just doesn’t make sense.

Inside the numbers

This was the fourth time in five games where Fredette shot 50 percent or better from the floor and the fourth time where he as perfect from the foul line. He also did a nice job taking care of the ball with no turnover for the second time in the last three EuroLeague games.

Up next

Fredette and Panathinaikos are back on the floor on Thursday as they take on Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 6 of EuroLeague. Efes has won four straight after dropping its season opener to Brandon Davies and FC Barcelona.

Like Khimki, Efes features six former NBA players including star guard Shane Larkin who is averaging 15.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. As good as Larkin is, the one who has made the offense go so far this season is Vasilije Micic who is putting up 18 points and 7.8 assists.