Duke’s Marvin Bagley III to miss Sunday’s game vs. Clemson

Marvin Bagley III apparently has a pretty minor injury, but he’s going to miss his third straight game on Sunday.

Last Sunday, before Duke’s game against Georgia Tech, it was announced Marvin Bagley III would be out with a mild sprain in his right knee. The Blue Devils handled the Yellow Jackets pretty easily 80-69, then Bagley also missed last Wednesday night’s 74-52 win over Virginia Tech. With a big ACC Top-25 matchup coming against No. 11 Clemson on Sunday, it has been announced Bagley will miss his third straight game.

Sophomore Marques Bolden has started the last two games in Bagley’s place, with a total of eight points and seven rebounds (eight points and six rebounds against Georgia Tech). Javin DeLaurier has also seen a larger role, with 42 minutes over the last two games. But most notably, Grayson Allen has stepped up by averaging 24 points, six assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game over the last two games.

After losing three of their previous four games, by a total of 10 points, Duke has quickly gotten back on track with back-to-back wins with Bagley out. They have four regular-season games left after Sunday, with Louisville (Feb. 21) and Syracuse (Feb. 24) on the slate before rematches against Virginia Tech (Feb. 26) and North Carolina (March 3). Bagley was injured during the first half of the Blue Devils’ 82-78 loss to the Tar Heels on Feb. 8. He was able to finish the game but hasn’t seen the floor since.

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Making sure Bagley is fully healthy come tournament time has to be a top priority for Duke. But just as important are the signs of life from Allen, who went just 4-for-16 from the floor (3-for-12 from beyond the arc) and totaled 16 points in losses to North Carolina and St. John’s. If his two-game burst to this point with Bagley out is a sign of things to come, the Blue Devils will be in line for a deep run in March.