Duke basketball loses starting guard to injury during an ACC matchup against Miami. What we know

Duke’s Tyrese Proctor sustained a left knee injury late in the first half during the No. 2 Blue Devils’ dominant 97-60 ACC victory over Miami on Tuesday night

Proctor limped off the court and headed to the locker room, not returning for the second half.

“We need to get him checked out with X-rays and an MRI,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said. “He took a hit to the leg—that’s all I know for now. We’ll have him evaluated and taken care of.”

Scheyer confirmed that Proctor would travel back to Durham with the team for further assessment. Although he left the arena on crutches, he was able to put some weight on his left leg.

The 6-foot-5 junior, who has started every game this season for Duke (25-3, 16-1 ACC), was defending the basket when Miami’s Divine Ugochukwu drove for a layup. The two appeared to collide knees, causing Proctor’s knee to buckle and forcing him to exit the game with 36 seconds left in the first half. Before his injury, he had scored seven points, helping Duke build a 47-32 halftime lead over the struggling Hurricanes (6-21, 2-14 ACC).

Proctor, who averages 12 points per game and shoots 40.9% from three-point range, reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career earlier in the game. “I’m happy for Tyrese hitting 1,000 points,” Scheyer said. “I know he didn’t want to achieve it this way.”

Freshman guard Isaiah Evans, who had already tallied 16 points in the first half, replaced Proctor in the lineup after halftime. Scheyer hinted that Evans would continue to see more playing time moving forward.

“With what Isaiah has done, it was an easy decision,” Scheyer said. “He’s earned that role, and he’s going to be out there.”

The Blue Devils are also managing another injury, as junior forward Maliq Brown missed his second straight game due to a dislocated shoulder. Brown suffered the injury on February 17 during Duke’s 80-62 win over Virginia.

He joined the team in Miami on Tuesday, dressed in street clothes, just as he did in New York when Duke routed Illinois 110-67 at Madison Square Garden. Scheyer previously stated that Brown would be sidelined for multiple weeks as he recovers.