DURHAM, N.C. – Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg left the second-ranked Blue Devils’ game against Florida State in the first half Saturday night after absorbing a hard foul.
Flagg made a move toward the lane and was fouled by Jerry Deng. Alier Maluk, a 7-foot freshman, also struck Flagg on the face during the sequence.
Flagg, who’s considered the potential No. 1 overall draft selection for the NBA, walked gingerly off the court with the aid of teammate Mason Gillis and trainer Jose Fonseca with 11:27 remaining. Duke led 14-11 at the time.
Flagg, a 6-foot-9 phenom, had just returned to the game after being treated on the bench by Fonseca for an apparent cut on his face.
Flagg exited the gym for additional evaluation before returning to the bench a few minutes later. But on the next timeout, he didn’t join the rest of the Blue Devils in the huddle around coach Jon Scheyer. He was cheering from the bench as the Blue Devils extended their double-digit lead. Then with about 5 1/2 minutes on the clock in the half, he exited the gym again and returned to the bench a few minutes later.
He didn’t play for the remainder of the half. Duke led 47-30 at the break.
Flagg entered the game averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He had four points on 2-for-5 shooting before departing.
Duke was already without starting point guard Tyrese Proctor, who sustained a knee injury Tuesday night at Miami, and injured backup forward Maliq Brown,
Earlier in the week, Flagg set an Atlantic Coast Conference record by being selected as ACC Rookie of the Week for the 11th time.
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