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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F | |
| MAGIC | 23 | 16 | 28 | 26 | - | 93 |
| HAWKS | 25 | 26 | 14 | 11 | - | 76 |
Recap:
ATLANTA (AP) -- Dwight Howard had 22 points and 17 rebounds, Vince Carter added 21 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 93-76 on Thursday night.
The Hawks, attempting to tie Phoenix for the NBA's best record, dropped to 11-4. They missed a chance to improve to 8-0 at home for the first time since 1993-94.
Orlando wiped away the disappointment of a one-point home loss to Miami on Wednesday night with its sixth win in seven games.
Atlanta, which has dropped two straight following a seven-game winning, blew a 14-point lead after Joe Johnson banked in a jumper to begin the third quarter.
The Magic went on a 25-10 run that ended with Carter's three-point play and a 64-63 advantage with 2:09 left in the third.
Johnson finished with 22 points for the Hawks, a half-game behind Orlando for the Eastern Conference and Southeast Division lead.
Atlanta's half-court offense fell into a deep funk after Marvin Williams hit an 18-footer to give the Hawks a 57-44 lead with 10:26 left in the third.
Over its next 34 possessions, Atlanta managed just six field goals.
Reserve guard Anthony Johnson, who averaged 1.6 points over his first 20 games this season, scored 17 points in 21 minutes. His 3-pointer with 6:58 remaining gave the Magic their first double-digit lead of the game at 79-69.
Howard's dunk with 2:25 left put Orlando ahead 87-73.
Josh Smith was the Hawks' second-leading scorer with 13 points.
NOTES: Mike Bibby started despite leaving the Hawks' last game, a loss in New Orleans on Saturday night, with a sprained left ankle. ... Atlanta wore red uniforms with ``ATL'' stitched on the front of the jerseys for the first time. ... The Hawks announced a crowd of 19,193 for their second sellout this season.
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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
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Preview:
STATS -- The Orlando Magic won the Southeast Division by 12 games last season, never really needing to worry about their lead after the beginning of January.
The Atlanta Hawks think they'll stick around much longer this time.
The Hawks have the best record in the Eastern Conference through the season's first month, and they'll get their first crack at the defending conference champions on Thanksgiving night at Philips Arena.
Orlando (11-4) held a 3 1/2-game lead over Atlanta on Jan. 1, but the Hawks couldn't get any closer as the Magic cruised to the Southeast title on their way to the NBA finals.
Atlanta (11-3) appears to have a bit more staying power this season, boasting the conference's only unbeaten home record (7-0), an average victory margin (6.6) bested only by Boston and the fewest turnovers (12.5 per game) in the league.
The Hawks' seven-game overall winning streak came to an end Saturday with a 96-88 loss at New Orleans, as Atlanta shot a season-low 37.2 percent and played the final three-and-a-half quarters without Mike Bibby, who left with a sprained left ankle.
"Bibby's our quarterback," forward Marvin Williams told the NBA's official Web site. "It's tough when your general goes down like that."
Bibby is a game-time decision for the Hawks' first meeting with Orlando - a nationally televised contest Atlanta is using as a measuring stick. A win would give the franchise its first 8-0 start at home since beginning the 1993-94 season 9-0.
"It's a big test for us," center Zaza Pachulia told the Hawks' official Web site. "If we want to be a winning team these are the teams that you've got to beat. Earlier this season we beat Boston in Boston. This is the same category team and same kind of category game."
Orlando looked like it would be a half-game ahead of Atlanta in the Southeast, but fell one-half game behind the Hawks after a late collapse Wednesday.
The Magic led Miami by seven with 6:40 to play in the fourth quarter, but Dwyane Wade went on a personal 12-0 run and Michael Beasley's follow of a Wade miss with 1.6 seconds left lifted the Heat to a 99-98 win.
"It's over with now. There's nothing we can do about it," Magic center Dwight Howard said. "... We just have to go back out there tomorrow and play better basketball."
While Bibby, who shot 30.4 percent as Atlanta lost three of four to Orlando last season, is questionable for Thursday, the Magic know they'll be without point guard Jameer Nelson for at least another month as he recovers from left knee surgery.
Based on Jason Williams' last two games filling in, Orlando should be in solid shape at the point. Williams, back in the NBA after temporarily retiring last season, has averaged 20.5 points on 66.7 percent shooting in the last two contests.
Williams and the Magic may want to get Howard more involved in the offense to be successful. The Atlanta native took just five shots in the loss to the Heat, dropping Orlando to 2-3 in games he's taken five shots or fewer.
The Magic are 9-1 when Howard scores 14 points or more.
Howard scored at least 16 in all four meetings with Atlanta last season, and he was especially impressive in his hometown. The reigning defensive player of the year averaged 22.0 points and 21.0 rebounds in two Orlando wins at Philips Arena.
Atlanta's Joe Johnson averaged 15.0 points on 30.6 percent shooting in the three losses to the Magic.
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Game Notes:
Nov. 26 @ Atlanta: Orlando is 41-36 all-time vs. Atlanta (27-12 at home, 14-24 on the road) during regular season action…The Magic went 3-1 against the Hawks last season…Orlando is 4-1 vs. the Hawks during the playoffs (1996 East Semis)...The Magic have won eight of the last 14 regular season meetings with the Hawks...Orlando has won seven of the last 10 matchups at home, but lost six of the last nine meetings on the road…Dwight Howard attended SW Atlanta Christian Academy…Anthony Johnson appeared in 181 career games with the Hawks during a combined five seasons (1998-2001, 2006-08)…Trainer Tom Smith worked with the Hawks for six seasons from 2000-05 as the assistant athletic trainer.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. HAWKS: 40 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Atlanta, 12-8-01)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 40 pts., Joe Johnson (@ Atlanta, 3-19-06)
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