Magic Hold Off Pesky Hawks In Southeast Division Bout

January 8, 2009 1:15 p.m. EST

Atlanta, GA (AHN) - Dwight Howard pumped in 23 points and ripped down 19 boards to lead the Orlando Magic to a 106-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night, in a matchup of the top two teams in the Southeast Division.

Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu each scored 20 points, while Jameer Nelson had 15 markers for the Magic, who have won four of their last five contests.

Orlando (28-8) moved five games ahead of Southeast Division rival Hawks (22-12).

Josh Smith netted 21 points, while Mike Bibby added 17 for Atlanta, which absorbed just its third setback in 18 games at home this season.

After dominating the first three quarters, the Magic led by as many as 19 in the fourth frame and were poised to snag the win until Atlanta woke up late in the period.

The Hawks launched a furious comeback, scoring 23 of the game's next 31 points, capped by a pair of free throws from Bibby to cut the deficit to just four with 1:24 remaining.

The visiting team went cold for nearly five minutes in the final stanza, but the Hawks failed to capitalize, unable to close the gap to within two points.

Bibby missed a breakaway layup, and Joe Johnson, the Hawks' leading scorer, failed to convert on a 12-foot jumper.

Johnson struggled with just 13 points on a 5-of-17 shooting, matching his second-lowest output of the season.

With 32 ticks left, Howard split a pair of free throws giving the Magic a 102-97 edge.

After Smith cut the deficit to three following a rebound layup with 18 seconds remaining; Lewis converted on 1-of-2 free throws, as the Magic notched just their second win at Philips Arena in eight tries.

Atlanta finished with a dismal 14-of-25 performance at the charity stripe, while committing a total of 13 turnovers.

With the win, Orlando moved within one-half game of the Boston Celtics (29-7) in the Eastern Conference.