Johnson and Hawks down Magic

Zaza Pachulia scored 17 points and Josh Smith contributed with his first double-double — 11 points and 11 rebounds — for the Hawks, who have won two straight.

"We’re just playing great basketball right now," Johnson said. "If we can play like this and I play 30 minutes a night, and these guys play hard every night, I’m satisfied."

Atlanta, which shot 43 percent from the field, never trailed during the contest.

Carlos Arroyo came off the bench and led the Magic with 22 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting. Grant Hill added 14 and Dwight Howard scored 11 and grabbed eight boards.

"We’re not giving ourselves a chance to win the game when we start slow," Arroyo said. "We don’t start the games with intensity. We’re a team known for its high energy and starting off the right way, but it was just one of those nights."

Orlando has dropped two in a row.

The Hawks stormed out of the gates, going on 14-4 burst capped by Pachulia’s layup with 5:17 left in the opening quarter. Atlanta continued to dominate the first, leading by as many as 13 and ending the frame with a 22-11 advantage. Johnson had seven points and Pachulia added six.

Atlanta maintained its lead in the second and went into the half with a 46-35 advantage. Orlando cut within seven with 25 seconds left on Hill’s layup, but Smith drained a three-pointer as time expired for the Hawks.

In the third frame, the Magic knotted the game 50-50 on Hedo Turkoglu’s jumper. However, Johnson led the charge for Atlanta with three straight jump shots before free throws by Tyrone Lue and Pachulia put the Hawks up 66-57 at the conclusion of the third.

Arroyo’s jumper got Orlando to within four with 6:22 remaining, but Atlanta went on an 8-0 run as Josh Childress hit a layup and tipped one in and Johnson drained two jumpers.

The Magic were never able to mount any offense in the final four minutes.

Game Notes

Johnson has posted back-to-back 30-point games...Orlando shot 42 percent from the field...Atlanta finished 30-of-35 from the charity strip while Orlando went 18-of-29...The Magic had 21 turnovers, compared to Atlanta’s 17...Orlando hosts Washington on Monday while Atlanta visits Cleveland on Tuesday.