No. 3 Duke just can't rid its persistent bad luck with injuries this season. The program announced Tuesday that sophomore wing Joey Baker, who scored 11 points in a win over Georgia Tech last week, will miss Tuesday night's road game against Clemson after he sprained an ankle in practice.
Baker this season is averaging 6.5 points and 14.2 minutes per game as a rotation player. He played 17 minutes in the Blue Devils win over the Demon Deacons, making three of his five 3-point attempts.
Baker is the second Duke wing to go down with an injury since the new year started two weeks ago. Just last week, freshman forward Wendell Moore Jr. broke a bone in his right hand and underwent surgery. He's expected to miss significant time recovering.
Duke sophomore Tre Jones also missed time last month with a foot injury. Cassius Stanley missed a game earlier this season with a leg injury.
That Duke has been this injury-riddled and this successful speaks to just how good this team can be. The Blue Devils are 15-1 heading in to Tuesday night's game and the only ACC team to boast an unblemished record (5-0) in conference play this season.
With Moore and Baker out Tuesday and, potentially, longer, freshman guard Cassius Stanley could see more opportunity on the wing against the Tigers. Stanley has averaged 27 minutes per game over Duke's last three games and averaged 16.7 points and 4.0 rebounds during that span. Junior guards Jordan Goldwire and Alex O'Connell should also see more playing time as Baker and Moore nurse their way back to health.
Duke is an 11-point favorite on the road tonight against Clemson, which has logged consecutive wins over North Carolina teams this month over NC State and North Carolina. The game tips at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
