Five instant reactions to the Duke basketball victory over California

Posted by author February 13, 2025 Basketball

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Cooper Flagg and the Duke men’s basketball team won’t be able to go 20-0 against ACC opponents after all, but that fact provided little solace for the California Golden Bears on Wednesday night.

Flagg notched 27 points on an efficient 8/14 (57.1%) from the floor, a night highlighted by a reverse dunk in transition, and fellow freshman starter Khaman Malauch logged his fourth double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Another starter quietly came close to a double-double of his own, and junior guard Tyrese Proctor kept his recent offensive form going with a strong night from 3-point range.

California star Andrej Stojoakovic, one of the ACC’s best scorers with 17.9 points per game, went just 4/14 for 10 points as the Golden Bears made 35.1% of their shots for the night. It all added up to a 78-57 victory, and the Blue Devils led by at least 12 points for the final 24 minutes.

Here are our five instant takeaways from the dominant victory.

We’re barely blinking at Cooper Flagg’s efficiency now

Duke’s superstar freshman was never a bad offensive engine, obviously, but 27 points on 14 shots from the floor would have sounded alien to Blue Devils fans back in November. In Flagg’s first four 20-point performances of the season, he averaged 23.0 on 19.0 attempts from the floor. In his last four, he’s averaged 25.0 points on 15.3 attempts thanks to improved shooting efficiency and a better knack for getting to the free-throw line. His step forward as a shooter since the holiday break has been covered ad nauseam, but it’s a game-changer for Duke’s offense.

The fact that Duke fans barely felt Maliq Brown’s absence is the largest testament to Khaman Maluach’s growth

Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown earned plenty of praise as a defensive anchor early in the season, and justifiably so, but he only spent 13 minutes on the court on Wednesday due to foul trouble. Rather than breathing any life into the Golden Bears, however, Duke still held California 11/40 (27.5%) from the field through 27 minutes thanks to Maluach’s ability to patrol the middle without whistles. The freshman only logged one block, but California scored just 20 points in the paint, and the Blue Devils outrebounded the Golden Bears 43-31. If performances like that aren’t dependent on Brown’s health or foul status, look out.

Sion James continues to be the kind of player who turns losses into wins

Sion James came inches from his second double-double of the season, scoring eight points on four shots and snagging nine boards despite his 6-foot-6 frame. The Tulane transfer is averaging 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for the season as he continues to find different ways to succeed on a given night, and that versatility makes him one of the most valuable players on the roster even if he isn’t routinely putting up 20 points.

A Malauch 3-pointer has to be the ultimate rage-quit shot for opponents

What exactly are the Golden Bears supposed to do if the 7-foot-2-inch rim protector calls an audible on a pick-and-roll? Maluach introduced an awesome wrinkle to the standard play on Wednesday when, instead of carving his way toward the basket after the screen, he retreated behind the 3-point arc and connected on a triple. The Olympian is still just two-for-nine from distance this season, but that dagger is on tape now, and it’ll be fascinating to see whether any other defenses give him a similar chance down the line.

The fact that Duke only needs one of Tyrese Proctor or Kon Knueppel on a given night is scary

Tyrese Proctor scored 18 points on Wednesday, making three of his six 3-pointers to finish as Duke’s second-leading scorer. Over the Blue Devils’ last four games, the third-year starter is averaging 18.5 points and shooting 44.8% from long range, but he’d scored more than six points just once in the previous five contests.

That problem would be more pressing if Kon Knueppel didn’t average 14.4 points and shoot 41.2% over that same five-game span.

Both Knueppel and Proctor provide tenacious defense every night, and at their best on offense, they can facilitate and score with the best of them. They’ve each run a little hot and cold at times, but they seem to rarely be off on the same night. In fact, one of the two has scored at least 10 points in each of Duke’s last 13 games. That’s simultaneously their floor as a duo and the only thing head coach Jon Scheyer needs from them, and that’s an ideal combination for the Cameron Crazies.