The Blue Devils hope for favorable news on their backup center.
The Duke basketball team defeated Virginia on Monday night, but it left Charlottsville with some serious concerns about one of its key players.
Maliq Brown, the Blue Devils’ backup center, challenged a pass in the closing minutes of the first half, resulting in a deflection. It’s something he performs daily throughout games and has elicited no response from his opponents.
However, something went awry with his shoulder as soon as he touched the basketball, causing him to clutch his left shoulder in anguish. The game was promptly paused as he returned to the locker room for additional assessment.
Duke promptly stated before the second half’s opening that Brown would not return to the game, and he ultimately emerged on the Blue Devil bench wearing a sling. Following the 80-62 triumph, Jon Scheyer stated that it had been diagnosed as a dislocated shoulder but did not provide any other details.
“He’s a big loss for us,” Duke’s head coach said.
Brown ended the game with two points, one rebound, and two assists in 10 minutes, and the Blue Devils outscored the Cavaliers by 13 points with him on the court.
Freshman center Khaman Maluach finished with two points and four rebounds in 19 minutes, while Patrick Ngongba II had eight points and one rebound in 11 minutes.
Maliq Brown was in his sixth game back after missing three weeks with a toe injury, and he picked up right where he left off defensively, giving Duke an outstanding advantage on that side of the court.
There is no timeframe for his return since Brown was scheduled to get further imaging on his shoulder Monday night.
No. 3 Duke (23-3, 15-1 ACC) will face Illinois (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night (8:00 p.m. ET, FOX) in its last non-conference game of the regular season.
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