Duke Escapes Winston-Salem With a 73-65 Victory

By Tyler Hoxsie | Jan 7, 2015

The Duke Blue Devils played by far their worst game of the year at Wake Forest but they managed to escape Winston-Salem with a 73-65 victory.

For the first time this season Duke failed to win by double digits. For the first time this season Duke didn’t perform at an elite level. They were sluggish from the start. They were sloppy on offense. They had no answer for Devin Thomas who finished with 24 points. Thomas also had four steals and played a huge role in practically shutting down Jahlil Okafor.

Jan 7, 2015; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; The Duke Blue Devils huddle up after a timeout during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Duke defeated Wake Forest 73-65. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Wake Forest never allowed Duke to make the big run that Duke fans have become accustomed to seeing. The Demon Deacons came out ready to play from the opening tip-off and appeared to be more ready for the game than Duke. Wake Forest started the game 6-0 before Duke could get anything going.

The Blue Devils quickly responded and took their first lead, 9-8, with 15:29 left in the first half. Coming into the game Duke has barely trailed. Through 13 games they have only trailed for a combined 5:55. In the first minutes of this game alone the Blue Devils trailed for 3:43. For the entire game Duke trailed for 5:35. Almost matching their season total.

After watching the first half you almost expected Duke to come out and go on a big run to pull away from the Demon Deacons. It seemed as if they were going to do just that as Winslow came out firing. Winslow made two three point jumpers and you expected that to jump-start a Duke explosion.

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Wake Forest was just not going to allow Duke to take control of the game. Every time the Blue Devils seemed poised to take control the Demon Deacons had an answer. Duke never went on that big run. Their biggest lead of the game was only 10 points and that didn’t happen until 40 seconds left in the game because of free throws.

The Demon Deacons had an answer every time the Blue Devils tried to extend the lead. Wake Forest even managed to gain the lead in the second half and made every Duke fan sweat just a little bit. Codi Miller-McIntyre grabbed a defensive rebound and went the length of the court to make the lay-up and get fouled. He knocked down the free throw and Wake Forest took its first lead since 16:08 left in the first half.

Down 56-55 with 6:04 left Duke stepped up and answered the call. Quinn Cook converted on an and-one lay-up to regain the lead. Perhaps the biggest play of the game came from someone you wouldn’t expect. With Duke up 61-59 and in desperate need of a basket Matt Jones came up clutch. Matt Jones nailed a three-pointer on a pass from Quinn Cook and from there Duke was in control.

It was not a performance you have come to expect from Duke this season. Duke wasn’t able to rely on a dominating performance by Okafor. The offense typically runs through Okafor but Wake Forest was consistently double teaming him and making him give up the ball.

When there is so much focus on stopping one player the floor and the game opens up for other players. Justise Winslow was ready for his moment to shine and he played his best game of the season.

Jan 7, 2015; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Justise Winslow (12) goes up for a shot against Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Greg McClinton (11) during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Duke defeated Wake Forest 73-65. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Winslow is an extremely athletic player who also has the ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Justise Winslow saved Duke. Winslow finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He was the best player for Duke tonight and they needed him to be.

Duke played without question its worst half of basketball in the first half versus Wake Forest. The Blue Devils couldn’t seem to get much of anything going or sustain a rhythm. They committed 10 turnovers in the first half alone. On the season they average only 11 turnovers per game. They weren’t shooting the ball well either.

The combination of poor shooting and turnovers usually leads to disaster. The good news for Duke is that they were still up 32-27 going into the break. In the first half Wake Forest seemed to figure out a way to shut down Jahlil Okafor, who played his worst offensive half of his young college career. Okafor finished the half with four points and three turnovers but was still a monster on the glass. Okafor grabbed nine rebounds in the first half.

Although Duke’s offense was not sharp they played fairly well defensively and won the battle of the boards. The Blue Devils grabbed 23 rebounds, five offensive rebounds, while Wake Forest had 16 rebounds and only three offensive rebounds.

Luckily for Duke they have more than one player who can score the basketball. Justise Winslow and Rasheed Sulaimon helped Duke out tremendously. Winslow scored nine first half points and was playing aggressive and attacking the rim. Wake Forest was so focused on stopping Okafor that Winslow was able to get free.

Jan 7, 2015; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski looks on during the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Sulaimon chipped in with seven points of his own in the first half and was also extremely aggressive. He was able to beat his defender and get into the paint to finish or kick it out to an open teammate. Sulaimon hit a sweet pull-up jumper to end the first half and give Duke a five point lead.

Although Sulaimon only scored three points in the second half he played a big role in the victory. Sulaimon made a three-point jumper to give Duke a 44-37 lead. Sulaimon spent a lot of time playing point guard and a lot of time with the ball in his hands. He has the ability to be a star for Duke and this was his second good performance in a row. Sulaimon seems to be getting more comfortable in his role and he was big for Duke versus Wake Forest.

Game MVP: Justise Winslow aka Chief Justise. Who else did you expect? Winslow scored 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds, had three assists and two blocks. He shot 7-17 from the field, 3-8 from three and knocked down all three of his free-throws. Winslow was the best player for Duke tonight and they needed him to step up. Without Winslow’s performance on both ends of the floor Duke does not win the game.

Play of the Game: The biggest play of the game came from a guy that Duke uses mainly for his defensive ability. Matt Jones knocked down a huge three while Duke was only up two points, 61-59, and there was only 2:28 left to play. As the legendary Stuart Scott would have said he was as cool as the other side of the pillow.

What’s Next For Duke: Duke has a few days to recover from a hard-fought victory. They play NC State Sunday Jan. 11 in Raleigh. It will be another tough road game for the Blue Devils as they face another gritty team and another ACC rival.

Duke Highlights:

Duke improves to 14-0 overall and 2-0 in ACC play.

Coach K earned his 997 career victory and is inching closer to a historic milestone. The big 1K.

Duke’s streak of 13 straight victories by double digits has ended.

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