DURHAM, N.C. _ Duke looked worlds better Wednesday than in its ACC opener against Virginia Tech.
Perhaps that's just Grayson Allen's impact.
The junior was back on the court for Duke's 110-57 win over Georgia Tech after serving a one-game suspension. Allen intentionally tripped Elon's Steven Santa Ana on Dec. 21. It was Duke's first 100-point game since Dec. 30, 2015, when it put up 103 against Long Beach State.
He didn't immediately score in coach Mike Krzyzewski's last game before lower-back surgery, the facilitator left that up to his teammates. Luke Kennard, who finished with a modest 16 points, didn't miss in the first half, and he and freshman Frank Jackson at one point in the first combined to go 6-of-6 from 3-point range. Duke (13-2, 1-1 ACC) shot 52 percent from deep, a massive improvement outside compared to its ACC opener.
Allen finished with 15 points, seven assists and three boards. He passed up a few opportunities early, driving the baseline for a layup at 10:57 for his first basket of the night. He buried two straight 3s with 6:00 showing in the first, converting a four-point play on the second.
Georgia Tech (9-5, 1-1 ACC) got on the board first, but Duke staged a 9-0 run to overcome the early deficit. The Blue Devils scored on six straight 3s by four different players in the first half, and their successful offensive attack provided a solid cushion.
They led, 61-30, at the break. At halftime, they had shot 58 percent from the floor _ 61 from beyond the arc and 86 from line _ while holding Tech to 37 percent from the field.
Duke's cohesion was day and night compared to the game at Virginia Tech, a charge led by Allen. Krzyzewski played eight guys, with Harry Giles getting his first college start _ and dunk. He finished an alley-oop pass from Jayson Tatum less than a minute into the second for a 63-30 lead. Giles finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds in 17 minutes. He played without a foul until the 10:21 mark of the second, and his layup at the four-minute mark broke 100 points for Duke the first time this season.
Tatum, who started cold by going 1-4 in the first half, wound up with a game-high 19 points. Two straight Tatum buckets in second half to give Duke a 91-47 lead with 8:26 left.
Jackson closed the night with 15 points, a game after scoring just six, while Matt Jones, a vocal spark plug for Duke, added 14.
