ORLANDO, Fla.(AP) Reserve guards Maurice Evans and Acie Law scored 17 and 20 points respectively, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 118-101 Monday night in the preseason opener for both teams.

Rashard Lewis led Orlando with 22 points. Olympian Dwight Howard had 17 points, five rebounds and eight blocks. The block total matches Howard's regular-season best.

Orlando led 51-49 at halftime but the Hawks outscored the Magic 45-30 in the third quarter and coasted to the victory.

Evans, who left Orlando via free agency after last season, and Law, who hit a running 60-footer as time expired in the third quarter, combined for 20 points in that span.

Howard arrived in camp after winning an Olympic gold medal in Beijing vowing to lead the league in rebounding - which he did last year by more than a board a game - and blocked shots. Though he didn't make any public proclamations about his free throw shooting after making only 59 percent last year, he hit five of six tries Monday.

One of the Magic's main preseason questions was who would play shooting guard opposite Jameer Nelson. Coach Stan Van Gundy named Nelson as his starter, and the fifth-year pro played the first and third quarters, allowing Van Gundy to experiment.

Free-agent signee Mickael Pietrus started and made a quick impact, scoring four of the Magic's first six points, including a driving dunk and long jumper. J.J. Redick, the former Duke star who's yet to make his mark in the NBA, scored seven points in the first quarter. At times he was paired with first-round draft pick Courtney Lee.

Tony Battie, making a comeback from a shoulder injury that cost him all of last season, grabbed seven rebounds but missed his first four shots and finished with six points on 2-of-8 shooting.

The Hawks, who made the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference despite a 37-45 record, took eventual NBA champion Boston to seven games before falling in the first round. With a healthy Mike Bibby at point guard, Atlanta hopes to have the pieces to complement forward Marvin Williams and Josh Smith and shooting guard Joe Johnson.

Bibby, who joined the team midway through last season, finally appears healthy after battling thumb and heel injuries in 2006-07. Bibby had 11 points and four assists in 21 minutes.

Orlando led by as many as 10 points in the first half before Evans made a free throw and hit a 3 in the final minute before halftime to cut the Magic's leads to 51-49.

Note: Hawks guard Speedy Claxton did not play because of a hamstring pull.