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Fredette out of playoff opener
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SHANGHAI Sharks playmaker Jimmer Fredette will miss the team’s first Chinese Basketball Association playoff match against the Shenzhen Leopards due to the birth of his first child.
The Sharks lost 132-135 in double overtime to the Zhejiang Lions in Hangzhou on Sunday despite a record 73 points from Fredette. It was both the 27-year-old point guard’s personal best and the highest points a player has ever scored in a match for the Sharks.
Fredette made 10 3-pointers and was 13-of-13 from the free-throw line, but still could not stop his team from slipping to third in the 20-team standing after Sunday’s defeat. The Sharks will visit Shenzhen on Friday for the first clash in their best-of-5 quarterfinal.
“Jimmer Fredette is going to become a father soon,” the club said in a statement late on Sunday. “During a regular pregnancy check, the unborn child was found to be suffering from a lack of oxygen, and the American doctor suggested a caesarean birth which would be ahead of schedule. Fredette reported the situation to the coaches. After discussion with club owner Yao Ming, the team allowed Fredette to return home and witness the birth of his child. Fredette might miss the team’s first match in the playoffs, but said he would return to China as soon as possible.”
Fredette, who averages 37.3 points per game, played a crucial role for the Sharks in the 2016-17 regular season, during which Shanghai led the table for the majority of the season and booked a playoff spot early.
The second and third matches of the Sharks’ quarterfinal against Shenzhen, which finished sixth in the regular season, will be held at Pudong’s Yuanshen Stadium on February 26 and March 1, respectively. The fourth match, if necessary, will be held in Shenzhen on March 3 followed by the decider two days later in Shanghai.
Regular season leaders Xinjiang Flying Tigers meet the Shandong Golden Stars in the quarterfinals, while second-placed Guangdong Southern Tigers take on defending champions Sichuan Blue Wales. The last quarterfinal sees the Zhejiang Lions take on Liaoning.
The semifinals and final will be best-of-7 affairs.
The Beijing Ducks, who won three titles from 2011 to 2015, suffered an agonizing 113-114 defeat to Sichuan on Sunday, thereby missing the playoffs with a ninth-place finish in the regular season.
The match was possibly the last one for Beijing’s veteran star player Stephon Marbury, who turned 40 yesterday.
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