Trae Young, Hawks vs. Paolo Banchero, Magic Set For 2023 NBA Mexico City Game

The Atlanta Hawks announced Wednesday that they will face the Orlando Magic in an NBA regular-season game in Mexico City on Nov. 9.

This coming season will mark the 13th time an NBA regular-season game has been played in Mexico, and the 32nd time overall since 1992 when factoring in preseason games.

The NBA noted in a press release that no country besides the United States and Canada has played host to more NBA games over the past 31 years than Mexico.

The first regular-season game in Mexico was played in 1997, and since 2014, 11 regular-season games have been played in the country.

That includes last season when the Miami Heat scored a 111-101 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

The 2023 Mexico City game, which will be played at Arena CDMX, will feature two teams that figure to be battling for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs next season.

Atlanta has reached the playoffs in each of the past three seasons thanks largely to the play of guard Trae Young, who is a two-time All-Star and averaged 26.2 points and a career-high 10.2 assists per game last season.

Also, the Hawks acquired guard Dejounte Murray from the Spurs last offseason, and the one-time All-Star delivered with averages of 20.5 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

The Magic have not reached the postseason since 2020, but they showed great improvement during the 2022-23 campaign.

After going just 22-60 in 2021-22, Orlando bounced back with a 34-48 record last season, meaning the next logical step is to compete for a playoff spot.

Perhaps the biggest reason for Orlando's improvement was the play of 2022 No. 1 overall draft pick Paolo Banchero.

Banchero led the Magic with 20.0 points per game and added 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists en route to being named NBA Rookie of the Year.

In addition to the game in Mexico City, the NBA recently announced that the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers will face off in a game in Paris on Jan. 11, 2024.