Howard works the Magic to clip Haw
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All-Star center Dwight Howard scored a game-high 27 points and powered the Orlando Magic to a 93-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
The Magic, who bullied Atlanta during a 4-0 best-of-seven sweep in last season's playoffs, had to dig deep for a win in the first meeting this season between two of the top teams in the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference.
Orlando won by an average of 25.3 points in eliminating Atlanta during the second round of the 2010 postseason, but the rematch saw a competitive contest throughout with the visitors taking a one-point lead with close to five minutes left.
"We wanted to show the Orlando Magic that we could come in and make a game of it, and not just hand them the game," Hawks forward Josh Smith said despite his team losing for the 11th time in 12 meetings with Orlando.
Elsewhere, it was: Warriors 109, Raptors 102; Spurs 95, Bobcats 91; Mavericks 89, Celtics 87; Grizzlies 109, Suns 99; and Bulls 94, Nuggets 92.
In Orlando, Florida, Jason Williams, playing in place of injured starting point guard Jameer Nelson (ankle), drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 4:15 remaining and Rashard Lewis scored less than a minute later to put Orlando (5-1) on top 86-82 en route to its fourth straight victory.
Vince Carter added 19 points, including five points in the final 1:12, to secure the win.
"If we're going to continue to fight that hard even when the shots aren't falling, then we have a chance to be really good," said Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy. "I know we're going to shoot the ball well at some point."
Joe Johnson scored a team-high 23 points while Smith put up 13 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta (6-2) which lost for the second straight night after a 6-0 start.
The Hawks fell 114-118 to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday but seemed to rebound early when they raced to a 13-point first-quarter advantage.
However, Orlando recovered with a 19-2 run between the first and second quarters.
In Toronto, Stephen Curry scored a season-high 34 points and Monta Ellis added 28 as Golden State beat Toronto.
Ellis, the NBA's leading scorer, fell heavily after a collision under Toronto's basket late in the fourth quarter.
He remained down for several minutes before being helped up and walking slowly to the locker room. Ellis topped 25 points for the third time in seven games.
David Lee fouled out with 14 points and 12 rebounds and Andris Biedrins had eight points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who won their first road game in three tries.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, including a driving layup with 4.9 seconds left, to end Charlotte's late comeback bid as San Antonio held on for a win.
Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw had 15 points apiece for the Bobcats, who fell to 1-6.
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