Flagg scores 27, No. 3 Duke extends home win streak to 14 with a 78-57 win over California
Cooper Flagg gets the steal, then runs the floor and flushes a reverse slam.
DURHAM, N.C. — — Cooper Flagg scored 27 points and No. 3 Duke extended its home winning streak to 14 games with a 78-57 victory over California on Wednesday night.
Tyrese Proctor scored 18 points and Khaman Maluach added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils (21-3, 13-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who rebounded from Saturday’s loss to Clemson that snapped a 16-game winning streak.
Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 21 points, Rytis Petraitis added 11 points and Andrej Stojakovic 10 points for the Golden Bears (12-13, 5-9).
Flagg shot 8 for 14 from the field and was perfect on nine free throws for Duke, which led 19-9 less than 9½ minutes in the game. Flagg scored 13 points in the first half, helping the Blue Devils to a 38-23 lead at the break.
Takeaways
California: The Golden Bears have lost four of their last five games. They were in danger of a season-low point total until scoring 15 points in a five-plus minute stretch late in the game.
Duke: The ACC-leading Blue Devils were having fun again while extending their home unbeaten streak. Flagg converted a breakaway reverse dunk midway through the second half, cracking a rare on-court smile afterward.
Key moment
Back-to-back possessions with 3-pointers from 7-foot-2 center Maluach and Flagg pushed Duke to a 28-15 lead. The margin never dipped to single digits the rest of the way. It was just Maluach’s second 3-point basket and eighth attempt from beyond the arc this season.
Key stat
California shot 35.1% from the field, below the ACC-low of 38.5% that Duke had allowed opponents entering the game.
Up next
Both teams play Saturday. Duke is home against Stanford, and California is at Georgia Tech.
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Duke University Athletics
Duke University
California
2/11/2025 6:17:00 PM | Men’s Basketball
Feb 12 (Wed)
For the first time in two and a half months, Duke basketball will hit the court trying to bounce back from a defeat.
Coming off their loss at Clemson, the Blue Devils (20-3, 12-1 ACC) return to Coach K Court for a matchup with California (12-12, 5-8) on Wednesday (9 p.m., ACC Network).
Duke is 2-2 in the all-time series against the Golden Bears, but the programs haven’t played since the Blue Devils’ 35-point win in 2019 at Madison Square Garden as part of the 2K Empire Classic. This is their first meeting as ACC foes.
FLAGG THOUGHTS: What Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg said about ‘wet spots’ at Clemson, loss to Tigers
HOW CLEMSON BEAT DUKE: What went wrong for Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball in loss at Clemson
Here are some other things to know and a score prediction for Duke vs. California.
Defensively and rebounding, the Blue Devils had their worst showing of the season at Clemson. The Tigers pounded Duke on the glass, winning the rebounding margin by 13, and the Blue Devils’ effective defensive field goal percentage (62.8%) was their worst mark of the year. Cal doesn’t do a lot of things well, but the Bears have proven capable of racking up offensive rebounds. Cal is 27th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (35.8%), so Duke better be ready to show up defensively and on the boards.
Foul trouble has become a problem for Duke freshman Khaman Maluach, the Blue Devils’ 7-foot-2 starter at center. Maluach didn’t reach four fouls in any of Duke’s first 17 games, but he logged four fouls in three of the last six games. Maluach, who fouled out at Clemson, will be facing a Cal team that is 17th nationally in free throws made per game (17.4). Duke’s roster is better from top to bottom, but Maluach has to keep improving as it relates to defending without fouling. It might not matter Wednesday night, but it’ll matter in March.
Cal freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson, who received a preseason vote for ACC Rookie of the Year, has been the Golden Bears’ most consistent scorer across the last six games. During that stretch, Wilkinson has averaged 19.8 points, with multiple 3-pointers in five of those games. With at least eight 3-point attempts in seven games, Wilkinson’s not shy about letting it fly. On the other side, Tyrese Proctor is seeing a big bucket. Proctor is coming off a season-high 23 points at Clemson. Duke’s veteran guard is making nearly 40% of his shots from beyond the arc, with four 3-pointers in each of the last two games.
Duke 86, Cal 59: Following an uncharacteristic defensive performance at Clemson, expect the Blue Devils to come out with ill intentions against the Golden Bears. Locked in to produce better rebounding results and more stops, Duke will make a late night on the East Coast a long night for Cal.
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 to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball vs California: Score prediction, scouting report
