Duke basketball: Blue Devils see mop-up duty in first career playoff game

Former Duke basketball stars saw mop-up duty in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

It was the first-ever game in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and it was over from the first quarter on. But perhaps that was the best thing for two former Duke basketball standouts.

The Indiana Pacers, the No. 10 seed, exerted their will over the Charlotte Hornets, the No. 11 seed, 144-117.

Indiana led by as many as 39 points in the second half as the injury-riddled Pacers showed their past playoff pedigree against the upstart Hornets.

However, due to the massive blowout late in the fourth quarter, two former Blue Devils made their postseason debuts as Charlotte’s Vernon Carey Jr. and Indiana’s Cassius Stanley logged a handful of minutes as the game came to a close.

Carey Jr. played five minutes in the loss. While not scoring a point, he did record one rebound and one block while committing two turnovers.

Stanley saw four minutes of game action and made his presence much more noticeable with four points, one rebound, and one steal on 2-of-4 shooting with one foul and one turnover.

In his rookie season, Vernon Carey Jr. only played in 19 games for Charlotte, making four starts, and averaged 6.1 minutes, 2.4 points, and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Cassius Stanley also did not make a major impact in his first year as a professional, seeing 24 games for the Pacers while averaging 3.9 minutes and 1.5 points per game as well as making an appearance in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

What’s next for the two former Duke basketball standouts?

Vernon Carey Jr. and the Hornets will go back to Charlotte and prepare for the 2021-22 NBA season, one that should look much more normal to a season that has been seen in the past.

Carey Jr. will try and earn more minutes next year with hopes of cracking the starting lineup and bringing the Hornets back to the playoffs with their young core of players.

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Cassius Stanley and the Pacers will face another win-or-go-home situation against the Washington Wizards on Thursday, May 20.

Washington lost to the Boston Celtics on May 18 in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-In Game.

The loser sees their season come to an end while the winner moves on to the Eastern Conference Playoffs to face the No. 1 seed Philadelphia 76ers.