Trae Young 41-point performance lifts Hawks over Magic in Mexico City, 120-119

The Atlanta Hawk faced the Orlando Magic in the 2023 Mexico City game. Coach Snyder stuck with the usual starters: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela.

The game got off to a good start with Trae Young grabbing a steal and dishing to Jalen Johnson in the corner for a three. Then, Dejounte Murray knocked down back-to-back triples. Having no problems offensively, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson connected on a must-see alley-oop.

Trae Young got off to a great start, logging 12 points and three assists in the quarter. However, he was also disruptive on the defensive end, snagging two steals. The game was tied 34-34 after one quarter of play.

Young continued to impress in the second quarter, scoring a quick five points to bring his total to 17. Johnson was letting it fly from deep with confidence, logging his second three-pointer and 10 points in just 8 minutes played.

Bruno Fernando logged a minute of play before Okongwu would return to the floor. By the midway point of the second quarter, the Hawks had already forced 12 turnovers, though having 10 of their own.

Trae Young took exception to a no-call on a screen by Banchero late in the second and subsequently received a technical foul. However, his dominance continued as he knocked down this deep three that he followed up with a floater.

The Hawks outscored the Magic 39-35 in the second, giving them a 73-69 lead at the half. Young led the way for the Hawks with 33 points, while Jalen Suggs scored 16 points, with three three-pointers made, leading the Magic.

The Hawks led by a score of 86-80 with six minutes remaining in the third. Young was quiet, scoring his only points of the quarter on a layup assisted by Capela. The Hawks, as a whole, stagnated from their first half, unable to find rhythm offensively. An 11-0 run for the Magic put them on top, outscoring the Hawks 29-20 in the third quarter with a 98-93 deficit; the Hawks had some ground to make up in the fourth.

With 10 minutes still remaining in the game, the Hawks had already racked up 25 personal fouls. This affected the minutes of Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter mostly. The Magic gained their biggest lead of the game at the time, at 106-96.

After going down 113-102, Bogdanovic scored five straight points to give the offense a lift. After a string of scores to follow, the Hawks took a 114-113 lead with a bucket from Jalen Johnson.

With three and a half minutes to go, Trae Young checked in to close the game. Trae Young tied the game with a free throw with roughly a minute remaining. Then, Franz Wagner took the lead for the Magic. In an electric string of events, Young drove and found Dejounte Murray for what would be the game-winning shot.

The Hawks won behind Trae Young’s 41 points, which tied a record for NBA games in Mexico City. The win brought the Hawks to 5-3 as they head back to the continental US.