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No. 5 Duke pulls away late to beat Michigan State

Michigan State v Duke

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 29: Lourawls Nairn Jr. #11 of the Michigan State Spartans defends on a drive by Frank Jackson #15 of the Duke Blue Devils during the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 29, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

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Grayson Allen scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half as No. 5 Duke pulled away from Michigan State down the stretch in a 78-69 win over the Spartans.

Luke Kennard added 20 points for the Blue Devils, who struggled shooting the ball for much of the game as their rotation was limited to just six players. Mike Krzyzewski started four guards - Allen, Kennard, Frank Jackson and Matt Jones - along with Amile Jefferson, while Chase Jeter chipped in with 22 minutes off the bench.

The good news, at least, is that it looks like the Blue Devils are getting closer to being healthy. Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles III and Marques Bolden warmed up with the team prior to the game and Tatum was in his jersey on the bench. They’re getting closer.

That matters because the single biggest takeaway from Tuesday night’s game was that neither of these teams are anywhere near their best right now.

Duke’s issues are obvious, and ones that I wrote about in this column: They’re missing three first round picks while a fourth, Allen, is playing through a painful toe injury. On the one hand, all this experience is a good thing for guys like Kennard, Jackson and Jeter. On the other hand, it means that there are going to be some guys that will have to adjust to playing significantly fewer minutes once the stars make their way back.

That’s where we are with Duke, and it’s where we’ve been for the last month.

And Michigan State?

Well, they’re still a team going through the growing pains of being young and losing two senior bigs to knee injuries, just like they were when I wrote this column. They’ve shown flashes - the first half tonight, the first 25 minutes against Wichita State, St. John’s - but they’re still not a finished product.

That will come with time. And practice, which the Spartans will get more of now that they’re insane travel schedule has come to an end. This team will be better in March, just like Duke will.

But for now, this is what we get with these two.