Orlando Magic centre Dwight Howard drives against Atlanta Hawks centre Al Horford during the third quarter at Philips Arena on Thursday. (Gregory Smith/Associated Press)

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 17 rebounds and Vince Carter added 21 points as the Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 93-76 on Thursday night.

Orlando (12-4) wiped away the disappointment of a one-point home loss to Miami on Wednesday night with its sixth win in seven NBA games.

Atlanta (11-4) which has dropped two straight following a seven-game winning streak, blew a 14-point lead after Joe Johnson banked in a jumper to begin the third quarter.

The Hawks missed a chance to improve to 8-0 at home for the first time since 1993-94.

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. Josh Smith was the Hawks' second-leading scorer with 13 points.

Atlanta's half-court offence 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 three-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.