The NBA Mexico City Game ended in a 120-119 win for the Atlanta Hawks over the Orlando Magic at the over 22,000-capacity Mexico City Arena on Thursday night, thanks to Trae Young’s 41-point performance.
Playing in his first game in Mexico City, the two-time All-Star, who had 33 points in the first half for Atlanta, dished out eight assists, shot 12 of 27 from the field, 5 of 15 from beyond the 3-point line, and 12 of 13 on a free throw.
WHAT A GAME pic.twitter.com/0DzqbxyKgb
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 10, 2023
“I love the energy of the arena tonight, the electricity. It was fun playing here,” Young said. “You can definitely feel the altitude, it affected all of us. There was a moment in the third quarter when I had to come out because the altitude got to me, I needed to get a breather.”
“I know we’re obviously probably going to expand the league and expand it to a couple more cities. I mean, I’m going to be open to playing here. This is an unbelievable place to play.”
Atlanta had five players score in double figures, with Jalen Johnson finishing with 19 points and 9 rebounds; Dejounte Murray going for 16 points; and De’Andre Hunter (12 points) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (15 points) combining for 27 points.
Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 21 points and four 3s, and Paolo Banchero added 17 points but missed a crucial 3-pointer in the Magic’s final possession of the game with less than eight seconds on the clock.
“We were trying to run the same play for Franz [Wagner],” the forward in his second year said. “He scored on a possession before but he drew two defenders, kicked it out to me and I missed the shot.
“We had a chance to win and we didn’t win. But it was a great game, though. Great environment.”
The NBA has played more games in Mexico than any country outside the United States and Canada, and the matchup at the Arena Cuidad de Mexico was the league’s 32nd game in the North American nation.
The Hawks improve to a 5-3 record, move to fourth in the East, and will host the Miami Heat on Saturday night after a three-game road trip. Orlando, on the other hand, dropped to 4-4, is eighth in the conference, and will host the Milwaukee Bucks at Amway Center on Saturday.
