Bitadze won't start Sunday's game against the Hawks.
With Wendell Carter (hip) sidelined, Bitadze drew a spot start Friday and posted 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. While he'll slide back to his usual bench role, he could see increased playing time if Carter doesn't play the entire game.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Promoted to starting role
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Bitadze is in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Pacers.
Bitadze's minutes have plummeted in recent weeks, and the lowest point came on April 4 when he logged a mere three minutes off the bench in a win over the Wizards. However, the Magic are resting most of their regular starters Friday, so Bitadze should see an uptick in his usage rate. He'll start alongside Cory Joseph, Tristan da Silva, Gary Harris and Caleb Houstan.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Hardly plays in victory
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Bitadze amassed no counting stats across three minutes during Thursday's 109-97 win over the Wizards.
Bitadze's three minutes played against Washington were his fewest of the season. The 25-year-old big man has received inconsistent playing time as of late, averaging 13.1 minutes per contest across his previous 10 appearances. Unless Bitadze starts receiving closer to 20 minutes per outing, it will be hard to count on him for consistent fantasy production.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Submits double-double off bench
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Bitadze provided 12 points (5-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal across 18 minutes during Saturday's 121-91 victory over the Kings.
Bitadze paced the Magic in rebounding off the bench en route registering a double-double, his first of the month of March. The veteran big man has still averaged just 4.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 blocks in 13.2 minutes while shooting 54.1 percent from the field through 14 games this month, and his fantasy value should remain capped while Wendell Carter is healthy.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Struggles in win
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Bitadze finished Monday's 118-106 win over the Lakers with zero points (0-2 FG), four rebounds and one steal across nine minutes.
Bitadze failed to make an impact during Monday's win against the Lakers, finishing with zero points in nine minutes on the floor. The 25-year-old big man has seen his role diminish considerably, averaging 9.6 minutes per game off the bench for Orlando, with the team turning to Wendell Carter in the frontcourt.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Misses out on double-double
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Bitadze finished with 19 points (8-10 FG, 3-6 FT), eight rebounds, one block and one steal in 23 minutes during Wednesday's 116-108 loss to Houston.
Bitadze logged more minutes than starting center Wendell Carter (19) in Wednesday's loss. Bitadze capitalized on this increased playing time by scoring his second-most points in a game this season. If the 25-year-old big man continues to play at least 20 minutes a contest, his fantasy value will increase.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Downward trend continues
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Bitadze logged two points (2-4 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one block across 16 minutes during Tuesday's 114-113 loss to the Raptors.
Bitadze was a non-factor again, continuing what has been a rapid fall from grace. After assuming the starting center role earlier in the season, Bitadze has been reduced to playing limited minutes off the bench behind Wendell Carter. He has scored a total of just 11 points over the past four games, adding three combined steals and blocks.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Won't start Thursday
Rotowire
Bitadze is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta.
The big man will retreat to the bench in favor of Wendell Carter on Thursday. Bitadze started in each of the club's last eight outings, during which he had averaged 4.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 assists across 19.4 minutes per contest.
Bitadze provided two points (1-2 FG, 0-2 FT), nine rebounds and one steal over 26 minutes during Saturday's 112-111 victory over the Spurs.
Bitadze played more than 25 minutes for the first time since returning from injury, indicating that his spot as the starting center could be safe after all. Although his production left much to be desired, the increased playing time is encouraging. Look for him to deliver a better performance when the Magic host the Hawks on Monday.
Bitadze contributed six points (2-8 FG, 2-5 FT), 14 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 20 minutes during Monday's 104-99 loss to the Warriors.
Although the Magic rank as one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, they managed to outpace the Warriors off the glass 52-45, due in large part to Bitadze's effort. Through 40 games, the big man is averaging 9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.9 blocks.
Bitadze is in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Bitadze posted 10 points and nine rebounds across 22 minutes in his return to action Monday, and the big man will return to his regular starting role for this matchup. Bitadze is averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in a starting role this season across 33 appearances.
Magic's Goga Bitadze: Approaches double-double in return
Rotowire
Bitadze (concussion) tallied 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one block in 22 minutes off the bench in Monday's 125-119 double-overtime loss to the Heat.
Though he had started in each of his prior 33 appearances, Bitadze was deployed as the backup center behind Wendell Carter on Monday as he made his return from a six-game absence due to a concussion. Poor free-throw shooting aside, Bitadze produced well during his time on the court, but it's unclear if he'll recapture his spot in the starting five and poach more playing time from Carter, who logged 36 minutes Monday. The Magic were without star power forward Paolo Banchero due to an oblique tear for all 33 of Bitadze's previous starts, and head coach Jamahl Mosley may prefer Carter's fit on the top unit with a now-healthy Banchero.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Coming off bench Monday
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Bitadze (concussion) will be deployed off the bench in Monday's game against the Heat, Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com reports.
Bitadze is in line for his first game action since Jan. 12 after clearing the league's concussion protocol, and he'll be utilized as reserve in an effort to ease him back into play. The Magic could limit the big man's minutes to ensure he makes it out of Monday's matchup without any setbacks.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Clears protocol, available Monday
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Bitadze (concussion) is available for Monday's matchup against Miami, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Bitadze missed Orlando's last seven games, but he took part in the team's morning shootaround and officially cleared the concussion protocol ahead of Monday's 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff. Bitadze has started in 33 of his 36 appearances this season, but most of those starts came while power forward Paolo Banchero was sidelined with an oblique tear. Now that Banchero is healthy again, the Magic may prefer to have Bitadze come off the bench as the primary backup to Wendell Carter.
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