Goga Bitadze emphasized the importance of his team closing out games after Orlando’s 132-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night at the Kia Center. “It was really important game. So I think shows our growth… today I think we did a good job,” he said, reflecting on the Magic’s 32-assist effort.
The center highlighted resilience during the second half. “There was some moments start of the third… they came out hot, knocked some threes down, but… we stayed together, trust each other, made extra passes for teammates,” Bitadze explained.
Orlando has now won four straight, and Bitadze credited the coaching staff for maintaining a positive atmosphere. “Huge part is coaches… you can’t get down on yourself and bring that negative energy, but they haven’t done that at all. Mo has been nothing but positive whole season,” he said.
With Franz Wagner and Anthony Black returning, Bitadze noted the boost their presence provides. “They’re our main guys… even them being on the bench, giving us little advices… seeing them in a jersey is huge. We are really really happy to have them back,” he stated.
Bitadze also addressed his own performance, contributing 14 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. “Every time when you have inconsistent minutes… it’s hard to stay consistent. So I think everybody around here knows that I’m going to keep working… numbers don’t mean a lot. Most important is that we got the win,” he said.
He discussed his pick-and-roll synergy with Desmond Bane, who added 18 points and six assists. “Usually he don’t pass… but I just all I can do is keep rolling. He’s a great player… it’s super easy to play with him. You just got to set good screens,” Bitadze explained.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Franz Wagner added 17 points. The victory moved Orlando (44-36) into seventh place in the Eastern Conference as the playoff race tightens.
Minnesota, missing Anthony Edwards and four starters from Tuesday’s win, was led by Terrence Shannon Jr.’s career-high 33 points. “Shannon scored 29 points in the second half, hitting five of seven 3-point shots,” the box score confirmed.
Bitadze concluded on the team’s mindset with two road games remaining. “We have to take care of the business. Wherever we end up, we like every matchup… we got to prove it obviously, but we got to take care of the business and wherever we end up go on from there,” he said.
