Goga

Bitadze

The only starter that will be the same as Friday is da Silva. KCP and WCJ sat on Friday but will surprisingly suit up in the inconsequential season finale. With a Play-In matchup with the Hawks coming in just a couple days, it’s unclear how much KCP and WCJ will play. Black will replace the injured Cory Joseph in the starting lineup, with Isaac getting his first start of the season. Gary Harris, Caleb Houstan and Goga Bitadze will come off the bench after starting on Friday, though Houstan and Bitadze should still play significant roles.

WCJ and KCP will return from one-game absences against Atlanta. Gary Harris and Goga Bitadze will likely be relegated to bench roles on Sunday.

Both WCJ and KCP sat out against Indiana on Friday, and it would be surprising if they played on Sunday since Orlando has already clinched the seventh seed in the East. Gary Harris and Goga Bitadze should start once again, with Jett Howard playing a significant role off the bench.

Joseph will be the only typical starter for Orlando as they have opted to rest most of their starters for this game. The Magic are locked in to the seventh seed in the East, so there is no incentive for them to win or lose this game. This will likely be the same starting five for the regular season finale on Sunday.

Goga Bitadze will likely be called upon to start for Carter against Indiana. Anthony Black has been Orlando’s most used sub lately. He or Cole Anthony could start for the injured KCP.

A fixture in the Magic starting lineup since the All-Star break, Carter has not missed a game since November 25. If he’s unable to play on Friday, Goga Bitadze will be the player tabbed to fill the void in the middle. He’s worth adding in active fantasy leagues, especially with the Magic locked into the seven-seed in the East.

Carter has scored 12 points or more in five of his last seven appearances. While this would not be a significant deal for most starters, it is for a player who has battled inconsistency for most of the season. However, even with the increased scoring output, Carter remains a player who cannot be trusted in 12-team leagues. Over the past two weeks, he’s ranked outside the top 200 in eight- and nine-cat formats. Backup Goga Bitadze (12/10/5/1/1 in 18 minutes) has been better, but his overall fantasy value hasn’t been much to brag about. With Orlando’s three-game Week 22 ending on Thursday, there isn’t much to gain from rostering either in standard leagues.

“Just when I thought I was out...they pulled me back in.” Bitadze has been ineffective since late January, scoring in double figures four times in 23 appearances. While Wednesday was a good night for Bitadze, fantasy managers should not overreact. Wendell Carter Jr. remains the starter, and he finished with four points, six rebounds and one blocked shot in 19 minutes. Neither Magic center should be rostered in most fantasy leagues.

Carter Jr. remained in the starting unit for a second straight game and was once again able to have a productive night for Orlando. He played 29 minutes, which left 19 minutes for Goga Bitadze off the bench. Bitadze finished with four points, five rebounds and four blocks. That’s solid production in limited action, but if the minutes continue to play out like this, Carter Jr. will remain a much better option in fantasy basketball. He’s currently rostered in just 28 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Carter is the lone change to the Magic starting lineup in the team’s first game out of the All-Star break. He replaces Goga Bitadze, who made five straight starts but offered limited production. Anthony continues to start for Jalen Suggs, who has been out since January 25 with a quad injury.