Duke vs. Louisville: Live Score, Highlights and Reaction

No. 14 Louisville 78, No. 7 Duke 69 

The crowded race for the ACC regular-season crown took another twist on Saturday, as the No. 14 Louisville Cardinals avoided their third conference loss with a win over the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils. 

After a miserable start on offense, the Cardinals surged into control through back-to-back three-pointers from Donovan Mitchell and V.J. King. Anas Mahmoud provided an extra spark for head coach Rick Pitino's team, as he scored 13 points in the opening stanza. 

Duke played from behind for most of the second half due to sloppy play on offense that led to a season high 18 turnovers. The Blue Devils big men were also exploited on ball screens by the Louisville offense. 

Grayson Allen attempted to lead a charge from behind for the Blue Devils in the second half, but the weaknesses of the Blue Devils without the presence of Amile Jefferson down low were too much to overcome. 

Mahmoud scored a career high of 17 points to go along with his 11 rebounds for the Cardinals, while three other Louisville players found their way into double digits. 

Allen and Luke Kennard combined for 40 points, but they received little help from the rest of the freshmen-laden squad. 

Louisville remained two behind conference unbeatens Florida State and Notre Dame in the loss column in the ACC standings, while Duke dropped to 2-3 in ACC play.

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