Magic's Goga Bitadze Leads Georgia to Dominant Win vs. Cape Verde
Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze led Georgia to a 85-60 win over Cape Verde in the country's first tournament game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Saturday.
Bitadze finished with 15 points on 3 of 4 shooting, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 19 minutes off of the bench. The 6-11, 230-pound big man was often fouled in the paint, as he converted 10 of 11 free throws. Bitadze's impact on the court was very apparent as he finished second on the team in plus-minus with +21.
"First match, First win," Bitadze tweeted after the game.
After spending his first four years in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Bitadze signed with the Magic as a free agent on Feb. 13.
In 17 games with Orlando this season, Bitadze averaged 5.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game. Orlando exercised his team option this summer.
His top performance with the Magic came in the team’s second-to-last game of the season, as he logged 12 points and 15 rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets. It was his second double-double of the season as he achieved the difficult mark in October with the Pacers.
Bitadze is in the running for the backup center spot behind Wendell Carter Jr., but he'll have to battle it out with Moritz Wagner.
After one game, Georgia is tied with Slovenia at the top of Group F. Slovenia defeated Venezuela on Saturday as well.
Bitadze and Georgia will take on Slovenia in their next game on Monday at 7:30 a.m. ET.
You can follow Hunter De Siver on Twitter @HunterDeSiver.
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