It wasn't pretty, but the Blue Devils will take it.
No. 2 Duke escaped a tenacious Wake Forest squad 73-65 at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Wednesday night thanks to a late 7-0 run and points on the team's final eight possessions. The Blue Devils' victory in their ACC road opener was their first all season by less than 10 points.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Disrupt Wake Forest's shooting: The Demon Deacons entered Wednesday's contest shooting just 42.7 percent from the field on the season but had another strong offensive game after putting up 76 points against No. 5 Louisville Sunday. Led by junior forward Devin Thomas' 24 points on 12-of-20 shooting, Wake Forest shot 45.9 percent from the field—including 55.6 percent in the second half—and consistently generated good looks inside. The Demon Deacons went just 2-of-13 from 3-point range, but scored 42 points in the paint and got 20 fastbreak points to give Duke its toughest test yet. The Blue Devils were unable to disrupt Wake Forest's rhythm for much of the game, especially in the second half.
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Continue feeding Okafor in the post: The star freshman center had one of the worst games of his young career, as on the defensive end Thomas consistently torched him and he was swarmed by multiple Demon Deacons whenever he touched the ball. Okafor finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 4-of-8 from the free throw line thanks to a strong finish, but had no assists and five turnovers. The fact that a 12-point, 11-rebound performance seems like a huge letdown shows how dominant the Chicago native has been, but Duke was unable to play off Okafor like it has for most of the season, instead relying on Rasheed Sulaimon and Justise Winslow—who combined for 30 points—to quiet the crowd for most of the game.
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Attack early and often on both ends: Wake Forest was the team that came storming out of the gates to grab early momentum Wednesday, as the Demon Deacons scored the game's first six points thanks to porous Blue Devil defense and two Duke turnovers. The Blue Devils came back to take a 9-8 lead with 15:27 left in the first half, but the game's beginning was just like the entire game for Duke—a dogfight. The Blue Devils entered the game having trailed for only 6:13 all season, but trailed for the game's first 3:52.
Three key plays:
- 8:21, second half: After a Tyus Jones steal, Winslow flies up the court and finishes a layup through contact for an old-fashioned three-point play to put Duke up 53-47 after the Blue Devil lead had been cut to one just moments prior. The Houston native was huge in the second half, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers early in the period after Wake Forest tied the game at 34, and the play momentarily gave his team the momentum before one of many Demon Deacon responses on the evening.
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2:26, second half: Senior guard Quinn Cook finds sophomore Matt Jones wide open on the wing for a huge 3-pointer that puts Duke up 64-59. The shot was Jones' first made field goal of the game off the bench and came after he badly airballed an earlier attempt from downtown and Wake Forest made the score 60-59 with 3:45 remaining. The triple was also part of the Blue Devils' 7-0 run that gave them firm control late in the contest and was the biggest shot of Jones' young career.
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1:36, second half: Point guard Tyus Jones slices through the defenses and finishes a layup in traffic while getting fouled for an and-one to finish the run and put his team up by eight. The Apple Valley, Minn., had a mediocre game by his lofty standards with just eight points on 3-of-7 shooting and four assists, but once again rose to the occasion when his team needed him most.
Three key stats:
- Wake Forest leads for 5:06: The Demon Deacons almost doubled the time Duke has spent trailing this season en route to ending the Blue Devils' double-digit win streak despite entering Wednesday's contest with seven losses on the season. Wake Forest's strong effort Sunday against No. 5 Louisville and again against Duke showed just how difficult it will be for any team to consistently win on the road in ACC play.
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Duke goes plus-18 from beyond the arc: The Blue Devils were uncharacteristically outscored by eight in the paint and 14 in fastbreak points—largely due to their 14 turnovers—but made up for it by knocking down timely 3-pointers and shutting down a limited Demon Deacon perimeter attack. Winslow and Sulaimon combined for five of Duke's eight triples as the Blue Devils went 8-of-18 from downtown, while Wake Forest went just 2-of-13 and frequently missed opportunities to put added pressure on the road team. Although head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff likely don't want Winslow to make a habit of shooting eight triples in a game because of his dominance inside, the Houston native went 3-of-8 and is shooting a solid 38.8 percent from long range on the season.
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Blue Devils outrebound strong rebounding team by eight: With Thomas doing damage inside and lightning-quick guard Codi Miller-McIntyre—who had 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists—punishing Duke in transition, the Blue Devils' tenacity on the boards was a huge reason they were able to prevail. Wake Forest leads the ACC in defensive rebounding percentage and outrebounds opponents by almost eight per contest, so Duke's 9-4 edge in offensive rebounds and 39-31 edge overall was huge given its offensive struggles. Thomas was held to just five boards, nearly half his season average. The Blue Devils ranked third in the country in field goal percentage and Wake Forest 223rd before Wednesday, yet it was the Demon Deacons who shot the better percentage. Luckily for Duke, it was able to do the little things and come up clutch to secure the win.
And the Duke game ball goes to... Justise Winslow
With Okafor, Cook and Tyus Jones struggling for much of the game, the Houston native picked up the slack to keep Duke undefeated. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound swingman made key plays throughout the game and finished with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line, and added seven boards three assists and two blocks.
Winslow was by far the Blue Devils' best player and the best player on the court other than Thomas. His 36 minutes were also a career high and as he continues to see more minutes at the four, it becomes more and more apparent just how valuable he is to this year's squad with his versatility and explosiveness.
And the Wake Forest game ball goes to... Devin Thomas
After torching No. 5 Louisville for 31 points and 11 rebounds Sunday, Thomas picked up right where he left off, dominating Okafor with an array of moves to finish with 24 points on 12-of-20 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, one block and four steals. Although his emotion often gets away from him, the 6-foot-9, 255-pound junior forward is showing he can compete with the nation's best when he has his mind right.
His big-time plays on both ends of the court also often infused a raucous home crowd with energy as the Demon Deacons tried desperately to notch their first ACC win. Wake Forest is now 8-8 and 0-3 in conference play in its first year led by head coach Danny Manning, but Thomas is a big reason why the team could build momentum for next season.
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