Griffin hits 5 3s, No. 6 Duke beats Syracuse 79-59

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AJ Griffin attempted 10 shots Saturday, nine of them from behind the arc. If Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had his way, Griffin would've put up even more.

"AJ is our best shooter. I’d really like for him to be even more aggressive," Krzyzewski said. "He’s a key guy, there’s no question about it. Every guy on our team has complete confidence in him."

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Griffin hit five 3-pointers — the most by a Duke player this season — and the sixth-ranked Blue Devils routed visiting Syracuse 79-59.

"We’re more connected on the offensive end with balanced scoring," Krzyzewski said. "There were a couple of really good minutes of outstanding offense. It looked like the (Carolina) Hurricanes playing. There were a lot of hockey assists."

Griffin was one of four players for Duke (15-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 15 points, joining Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams. Banchero had 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Jeremy Roach added 11 points.

Jesse Edwards led Syracuse (9-10, 3-5) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Jimmy Boeheim also had 12 points.

Griffin swished 3-pointers on his first two shots to spark Duke’s 11-2 run out of the gate. Syracuse surged back with a 13-5 stretch but never took the lead from Duke.

Duke forward A.J. Griffin (21) reacts following a basket against Syracuse during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

A 24-11 run from the Blue Devils to start the second half extended their lead to 27. Moore tallied 10 points during that span. Duke grew its lead to 31 points during