ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 18 points, Dwight Howard had 13 points and 12 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks pulled away late in a 111-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win.
Kent Bazemore scored 17 points, and Paul Millsap had a big second half to finish with 16 points. Bazemore and Millsap knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to close the door on Orlando, which pulled within four points of the lead during the final period.
Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 15 points each, and Evan Fournier came off the bench to score 14 points.
Atlanta led by 15 after three quarters, but then Orlando used a 14-2 run to pull within 88-84 with 7:56 left. The Hawks responded with a 21-5 spurt, including the 3s by Bazemore and Millsap, that put the game out of reach.
Orlando couldn't consistently get stops on guards Tim Hardaway Jr., Malcolm Delaney and Schroder, and Atlanta shot 54 percent from the field and 53 percent from 3-point range. Hardaway scored 12 points and Delaney had 11.
The teams combined for 20 turnovers during a tight first half, and the Hawks led 52-47 at the break behind 22 points in the paint.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Atlanta took a 6-0 lead on three consecutive drives to the basket in the first, prompting Orlando coach Frank Vogel to call a timeout 2:13 into the game. ... Howard began his career with the Magic from 2004-2012 and heard it from the fans in the Amway Center each time he touched the ball. This was his first return to Orlando as a member of the Hawks.
Magic: Leading scorer Fournier returned after missing the previous five games with a bruised right heel. Fournier, however, did not start. Jodie Meeks, who had a season-high 23 points Monday in a win over the Knicks, remained in the starting lineup at shooting guard. ... Point guard Payton returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench the previous 20 games after losing his starting job. He had been replaced as the starter by D. J. Augustin.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Continue their road swing in New Orleans against the Pelicans on Thursday night. It's their first meeting of the season.
Magic: Will host Houston on Friday night before beginning a six-game West Coast trip. The Magic will not return to Amway Center until Jan. 20.
