What Kristaps Porzingis said about altercation that led to Goga Bitadze’s ejection
"Bitadze came from the side and kind of shoved me and of course I reacted to that. "
Goga Bitadze clasped his hands, waved goodbye, and shook hands with a teammate as if he thought Kristaps Porzingis would be ejected from the game for his actions.
Eventually, the Magic center’s eyebrows raised as he realized that he would be the one thrown out of the game.
Porzingis had exchanged words with Orlando point guard Jalen Suggs with 3:36 remaining in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 108-104 loss to the Magic. Both were assigned technical fouls on the play.
Bitadze watched the interaction, threw his arms up, then decided to insert himself into the situation. As Suggs and Porzingis went face-to-face, Bitadze walked up and put his hands on the Boston center.
The fray was broken up quickly, as Suggs and a coach wrapped Porzingis up before he could hit Bitadze back. Porzingis downplayed the interaction after the game.
“Nothing. Just competing. Started talking a little bit,” Porzingis said. “We went face to face and then we just kept on talking and Bitadze came from the side and kind of shoved me and of course I reacted to that. Just normal NBA action, a little bit. Nothing serious, just competing. It’s good that nobody got thrown out from our side and we just kept playing.”
Jaylen Brown called the loss a “good preparation game”, noting Orlando’s physicality and the Celtics’ lackluster response to it. Porzingis agreed, saying that Boston can “100 percent” learn something from this loss.
“I think we could have adjusted a little bit earlier knowing there wasn’t a lot of stuff being called, and we can also use that,” Porzingis said. “We have to be ready for that offensively, but we can also use that a little more defensively if it’s that type of game … but overall it’s great to play against a team like this that’s able to have that kind of intensity, this kind of physicality in a regular season game.”
Both teams were shorthanded. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum who was a late scratch because of a non-COVID illness. The Magic were without Paolo Banchero and both Wagner brothers.
“Hats off to them, and hats off to (Jamahl) Mosely their coach who is getting their minds and their culture like this for a regular-season game,” Porzingis said. “It’s really a great job that he’s doing over there. It’s not easy to do and it’s a hard playing team that we played tonight.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com