CHARLOTTE — Cooper Flagg’s left ankle is now the biggest story at the 2025 ACC Tournament.
No. 1 Duke basketball rallied from a double-digit deficit for a 78-70 victory against Georgia Tech on Thursday at Spectrum Center, but all eyes were on Flagg, who exited the game late in the first half with a left ankle injury and didn’t return.
The ACC Player of the Year and projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg returned to the bench area in his Duke warmup shirt and was roaming around during timeouts. He had two points on 1 of 7 shooting, with four rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes before leaving with an injury.
Duke trailed by 12 points in the first half, but scored the first 12 points in the second half to take command against the Yellow Jackets (17-16).
FLAGG INJURY UPDATE: Cooper Flagg injury update: Duke basketball player exits first half vs Georgia Tech
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BROWN INJURY UPDATE: Maliq Brown injury update: Duke basketball player exits first half vs Georgia Tech
It’s unclear if the top-seeded Blue Devils (29-3) will be without Flagg for Duke’s matchup with Wake Forest (21-10) or UNC (21-12) on Friday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) in the semifinals.
Flagg leads Duke in every major statistical category. He’s averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Here are more observations from the Blue Devils’ opening game of the ACC Tournament.
Maliq Brown shoulder injury vs Georgia Tech
Duke reserve Maliq Brown re-injured his left shoulder with just under five minutes left in the first half, just before Flagg’s injury at the 2:46 mark. Brown, who missed four games with the shoulder injury before returning against UNC, is one of the Blue Devils’ most impactful players. He leads the team with 129 deflections in 22 games as arguably the team’s most versatile defender. Like Flagg, it’s unclear if Brown will be available for the Blue Devils on Friday at the ACC Tournament.
Kon Knueppel, Isaiah Evans lead injury-plagued Blue Devils
With Flagg out, freshmen Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel provided a bulk of the scoring and playmaking for the Blue Devils. Knueppel continued to shine as a scorer and distributor, finishing with a career-high 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Duke missed its first 13 shots from 3-point range before Evans broke the ice late in the first half. The Fayetteville native, who played at North Mecklenburg High School near Charlotte, had 14 points and made four 3-pointers in 16 minutes off the bench.
Khaman Maluach, Patrick Ngongba step up after Cooper Flagg, Maliq Brown injuries
Duke centers Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba, the Blue Devils’ freshmen big men, stepped up with Flagg injured. Maluach had 14 points, nine rebounds and a season-high four blocks against the Yellow Jackets. Ngongba had seven points, two rebounds and a block in 10 minutes off the bench. The importance of both players rises if Flagg and Brown are out for an extended period.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them torbaxley@fayobserver.com.
