Duke defeated Clemson 71-69 on Tuesday night, earning its second consecutive victory.

The Blue Devils were favored by double-digits in this game, but the Tigers had other ideas. Clemson led as late as the 3:19 mark in the second half and was in the game all the way until the end.

It was a late offensive outburst from Paolo Banchero that put Duke over the edge. He finished with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and also dished out 4 assists. As a team, Duke made 5 of its final 6 field goal attempts.

Clemson out-rebounded Duke 39-31, which was part of the reason why the Tigers were able to hang around for so long. They finished with a 9-4 edge in second chance points.

The Blue Devils were playing without freshman guard Trevor Keels, who suffered a lower leg injury last week against Florida State. Jeremy Roach started in his place and led the team with 9 assists.

This win keeps Duke on track toward the goal of earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils also needed this win to force a tie atop the ACC standings with Miami and Florida State. All three of those teams sit at 6-2, although the Hurricanes and Seminoles both play on Wednesday.

Duke will be in action again on Saturday vs. Louisville.