Bitadze (concussion) won't play in Friday's game versus the Celtics.
Bitadze will miss his second straight contest Friday due to a concussion. Wendell Carter should draw another start in his absence. Bitadze's next chance to suit up is Sunday's matchup with Denver.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Out Wednesday with concussion
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Bitadze was placed in the concussion protocol and will not play Wednesday versus the Bucks, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Bitadze was originally considered questionable for Wednesday with a hip injury, but he also took a shot to the head during Sunday's 104-99 win over the 76ers and started to show symptoms of a concussion later on. With the new diagnosis, Bitadze is in danger of missing additional time. Wendell Carter will likely enter the starting five in Bitadze's stead Wednesday, while Jonathan Isaac could see elevated minutes as the Magic's top reserve big man.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Listed as questionable
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Bitadze (hip) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Bucks, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
After leaving Sunday's game against the 76ers early, Bitadze was held out of Tuesday's practice. The questionable tag suggests that he's day-to-day, however. Jonathan Isaac is a candidate to step into a larger role if Bitadze can't go.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Misses practice Tuesday
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Bitadze (hip) did not practice Tuesday, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Bitadze left Sunday's game against the 76ers early and is dealing with a right hip contusion. The Magic will be releasing their injury report Tuesday afternoon or evening, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Magic slapped a questionable tag on the center. Jonathan Isaac could see more run if Bitadze is unable to give it a go.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Day ends early with hip injury
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Bitadze exited with 2:38 remaining in the second quarter of Sunday's 104-99 win over the 76ers and didn't return after being diagnosed with a right hip contusion.
The Magic initially labeled Bitadze as questionable to return, but Wendell Carter opened the second half with the starting unit while Bitadze never checked back into the game. Along with Carter, Jonathan Isaac (27 minutes) also saw a spike in playing time as a result of Bitadze's early exit. Bitadze finished with four points (2-3 FG), two rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist in 12 minutes prior to departing the game.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Balanced outing as leading scorer
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Bitadze tallied 15 points (7-12 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal over 30 minutes in Thursday's 104-89 loss to Minnesota.
Bitadze did a little bit of everything for Orlando in Thursday's battle, leading all Magic players in scoring and blocks while ending two rebounds shy of a double-double in a losing effort. Bitadze has posted at least 10 points and eight boards in 17 contests this season, and he recorded his eighth outing with three or more blocks.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Comes close to triple-double
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Bitadze finished with 11 points (3-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-8 FT), 13 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and one steal over 30 minutes during Friday's 106-97 win over the Raptors.
Bitadze has established himself as a proven two-way presence for the Magic down low, and he's been performing above the most optimistic predictions in recent weeks. The big man recorded his fourth double-double across his last five appearances while establishing a season-high mark in assists and tying his season-best output in blocks. Bitadze is firmly entrenched as a starter in the Magic's depleted frontcourt, but he's making a strong case to remain in that role for the long term, as he's averaging 12.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per game over his last 10 contests.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Strong in paint in double-double
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Bitadze supplied 14 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 31 minutes during Friday's 108-85 loss to the Knicks.
Bitadze held things down in the paint for Orlando in Friday's contest, leading all Magic players in rebounds and blocks while tallying the lone double-double of the game. Bitadze has recorded a double-double in 12 outings this season, including in four of his last five appearances.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Strong defensive presence vs. Heat
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Bitadze logged 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-3 FT), 14 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and three steals over 33 minutes during Thursday's 89-88 loss to Miami.
Bitadze led Orlando in blocked shots Thursday, and he was one of three Magic players to register three steals. A last-second tipped shot late in the fourth quarter brought Bitadze to double-digt points and gave him his 11th double-double of the season. Five of those double-doubles have come over his last seven outings, and over that span he has averaged 13.1 points on 60.6 percent shooting, 12.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals over 29.4 minutes per game.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Ejected vs. Boston on Monday
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Bitadze was ejected with 3:36 remaining in the fourth quarter of Monday's game against the Celtics, Dan Savage of the Magic's official site reports. He'll finish the matchup with eight points (4-7 FG), nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks across 21 minutes.
The big man appeared to shove Kristaps Porzingis by the throat and was ejected in the final minutes of the contest. Wendell Carter should pick up the slack the rest of the way. Bitadze stuffed the stat sheet in his limited run Monday, and his next chance to suit up will come Thursday against Miami.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Impressive effort Saturday
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Bitadze closed with 18 points (8-8 FG, 2-3 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 31 minutes during Saturday's 121-114 victory over the Heat.
The Magic were without several key contributors in this game, such as Jalen Suggs (ankle), Franz Wagner (oblique) and Paolo Banchero (oblique), and they also lost Moritz Wagner (knee) and Wendell Carter (ejection) Saturday. Hence, they needed Bitadze to be at his best. The big man stepped up and delivered, notching a double-double for the fourth time across his last five appearances while hitting each of his eight shots from the field. Bitadze has scored in double digits in 12 of his 22 games as a starter this season, and it seems he might be able to continue playing at this level based on his recent outings.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Secures another double-double
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Bitadze closed Thursday's 105-99 loss to the Thunder with 15 points (6-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and one block across 27 minutes.
Bitadze notched his third double-double over his last four appearances, and he continues to make the most of his opportunities on the offensive end, hitting 55.8 percent of his tries from the field over this brief hot stretch. He's putting together a solid month of December, averaging 11.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocks over seven games. While Bitadze isn't a sure thing to log 30-plus minutes on a nightly basis, he's shown that he only needs 20-to-25 minutes to be productive across the board.
Bitadze totaled 12 points (6-13 FG, 0-2 3Pt), 14 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 38 minutes during Tuesday's 114-109 loss to Milwaukee.
Bitadze recorded his eighth double-double of the season in the loss. Orlando continues to roll with a jumbo frontcourt featuring Bitadze and Wendell Carter together, so there are plenty of reasons to like his fantasy upside going forward. In five December outings, Bitadze is averaging 12.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals.
Bitadze produced 21 points (8-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 16 rebounds and four assists across 31 minutes during Sunday's 115-110 victory over the Suns.
Bitadze dominated the paint against a Suns team without rebounding machine Jusuf Nurkic (thigh) to protect the rim Sunday, collecting a career-high 16 boards en route to a big 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. Bitadze has stuck around in Orlando's starting lineup despite Wendell Carter Jr. recently returning to the fold in the frontcourt, with Bitadze averaging 11.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals in 26.9 minutes per contest over his last six games. As long as Bitadze is getting minutes in the mid-20s, the 25-year-old big man should remain a strong source of blocks and boards to go with a high field-goal percentage.
Magic's Goga Bitadze: Active and starting Wednesday
Rotowire
Bitadze (ankle) is cleared and in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Philadelphia, Dan Savage of the Magic's official site reports.
Bitadze joins Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter in Orlando's expected starting frontcourt. The 25-year-old is averaging 10.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.0 blocks across his last three games.
