DURHAM, N.C. (AP) Freshman Paolo Banchero had 17 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 2 Duke beat Georgia Tech 69-57 on Tuesday night in its return from a COVID-19 outbreak that had led to a pair of postponements.

Duke (12-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) had a rough night on offense and shot a season-low 37.3%. But the Blue Devils' defense made things even tougher on the Yellow Jackets while Duke dominated the boards to grind through this one.

It was never easy for a team that has been ranked in the top 5 since before Thanksgiving. Duke led by 15 midway through the second half but struggled to put this one away, with the Yellow Jackets (6-7, 0-3) twice cutting the deficit to six in the final 4 1/2 minutes.

Still, Duke came up with answers - namely a vicious throwdown slam from AJ Griffin, a contested 3 from fellow freshman Trevor Keels and multiple late free throws - to stay in front.

Michael Devoe, who came in averaging a league-best 21.2 points, finished with 21 points for Georgia Tech. All but five of those came in the final 11-plus minutes, including the 3-pointer and driving score that twice brought the Yellow Jackets within six - the last time at 58-52 with 3:18 left.

Griffin finished with 12 points, while Mark Williams added 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks for Duke.

The Blue Devils hadn't played since beating Virginia Tech in their ACC opener Dec. 22. League games at Clemson and Notre Dame were called off with coach Mike Krzyzewski saying cases had gone through ''just about our whole team'' from players to staffers.

The Blue Devils finished with a 48-35 rebounding advantage and more than doubled the Yellow Jackets (17-8) in second-chance points.

And the defense held the Yellow Jackets shot just 8 of 32 by halftime (25%) and finished at 33%.

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Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets host Notre Dame on Saturday.

Duke: The Blue Devils host Miami on Saturday.