During each Magic home game, the Baseline Blog will bring you closer to the action - both on and off the court - at Amway Arena. Logon at game time and follow the action throughout the night as we'll be blogging with new updates every 5-7 minutes during the game.

By Matthew Gardner | OrlandoMagic.com

The Orlando Magic held a 14-point third quarter lead, but let it slip away as the Atlanta Hawks walked away with a 93-90 loss on Friday evening at Amway Arena. The Hawks outscored the Magic 50-25 in the second half to hand Orlando its seven loss in the last eight games. Dwight Howard led the Magic with 19 points. The Magic will face the Hawks again on Monday in Atlanta.

After playing a close game through the first 10 minutes of the game, the Magic began to move away in the final minutes of the first quarter. By halftime, Orlando held a 14 point lead. But the combination of Joe Johnson and Joe Smith proved deadly for Orlando in the second half and slowly chipped away at the Magic lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Magic's once comfortable lead had fallen to three, 73-70.

Johnson, who finished the game with a season-high 39 points, continued to give Orlando trouble and Atlanta built up a five-point lead in the closing minute and held on for the win.

Howard led Orlando in scoring, but missed some crucial free throws in the fourth quarter. After hitting seven of his first 10 from the charity stripe, Howard went cold and connected on only two of his final eight attempts. Tony Battie scored a season-high 14 points, while Jameer Nelson also added 14 and Hedo Turkoglu had 12.

In addition to Johnson's scoring frenzy, the Hawks also got 24 points from Josh Smith and 12 off the bench from Josh Childress.

FOURTH QUARTER
Howard, Milicic, Redick, Bogans and Arroyo on the floor as the fourth quarter gets underway. With the shot clock winding down, Redick has the ball striped by Josh Smith and the Hawks forward goes on the fastbreak for a big-time dunk. Bogans get two at the other end to keep Orlando up by three, but Milicic fouls Solomon Jones on the Hawks next possession and send the Atlanta rookie to the line. Jones misses the first, but hits the second to make it a two-point game with 10:46 left.

Arroyo sinks a jumper and Atlanta is called for an offensive foul. Redick misses a three and Atlanta comes right now and scores on a Smith layup. It's now a 77-75 game with 8:58 remaining. Atlanta got a couple of good looks at the basket, but weren't able to sink a shot. At the other end, Darko's spin move and floater give Orlando a four-point lead. But Johnson won't lie down and has now scored 30 after his latest jumper. Milicic is called for a travel, which makes the Orlando turnover count now stand at 16. That allows Johnson to use another offensive possession to hit a bucket and this one ties the game with 7:21 left. Grant Hill checks back into the game for Redick. But Grant (still with a dislocated pinkie on his left hand) turnsover the ball and Wright scores to give Atlanta the two-point advantage at the 6:35 mark.

Wright fouls Bogans and sends the Orlando guard to the line. Bogans hits the first, but not the second. It's now an 81-80 Atlanta lead. Josh Smith is fouled en route to the basket by Milicic and he'll shoot a pair of free throws at the 6:05 mark. He hits both as Atlanta's lead goes to three, 83-80. Timeout on the floor with 5:52 on the clock.

Dwight is fouled and goes to the line where he's hit 7-of-10 so far tonight. His first attempt goes in and back out and the second one can't connect either. Atlanta can't get one to fall as Marvin Williams jumper is wide right and Arroyo is fouled by Smith on the Magic's next possession. The first Arroyo free throw is good, along with the second to make it a one-point game, 83-82, with 5:20 left. Josh Smith hits a jumper to extend Atlanta's lead to three, but Darko dunks one down at the next trip down the floor. Johnson's shot doesn't fall, but a long rebound allows Atlanta to maintain possession. However, Smith misses on this trip. The Hawks lead, 85-84, with 3:49 left on the clock.

Dwight Howard is fouled and goes to the line, where he missed his last two attempts. The first one goes in to tie the game. He misses the second one, but Atlanta is called for a lane violation, so Dwight will get a third attempt. This one goes in to give the Magic a one-point lead. Johnson misses a layup attempt as he drives through traffic and the Magic take over possession. With time winding down on the shot clock, Hill feeds Howard inside and Wright fouls out of the game in his effort to stop Orlando's soon-to-be All-Star center. Howard goes to the line for the 15th and 16th times tonight. The first attempt is too far to the right and bounces off the rim. The second one clanks off the back of the rim and Atlanta takes over on offense. But Johnson gets caught up in congestion and his erratic dribbling gets called for a travel. However, Orlando isn't able to respond as Nelson's jumper inside the free throw line doesn't fall. At the other end, Johnson makes another bucket as Atlanta goes upu by one with 2:24 remaining in the game.

Howard is fouled once again, this time sending Pachulia to the bench with his sixth personal. Having made just two of his last six, Howard misses yet another free throw, along with the second and he's hearing some boos from the crowd. That's six misses in his last eight attempts. Johnson hits another shot and Atlanta has a three-point lead with 1:48 left.

After a poor offensive possession by the Magic, Atlanta winds the clock down with an offensive rebound and Howard then fouls Johnson, sending the Hawks guard to the line. He hits both to give Atlanta a five-point lead with 59.4 seconds left in the game. The Magic call timeout.

Grant Hill hits a jumper with 48.2 left and the Magic need a big defensive stop here! Shelden Williams misses the jumper and Orlando gets a break as Childress was on the line when he rebounded the ball. The Magic call timeout, down by three points with 24.9 left in the game.

Hill inbounds the ball to Nelsonand Jameer takes the open shot, but it doesn't fall. The Magic foul Childress with 14.5 left. Childress misses the first, but hits the second - making it a two-possession ball game with only 14.5 ticks remaining.

Magic looking for a miracle here....Nelson inbounds to Milicic, who hands it back to Nelson. Nelson passes to Turkoglu, but Hedo misses the three. The ball goes off a Hawks player and Magic maintain possession. They inbounds to Darko and his dunks it down. It's now Hawks 92, Magic 90. Redick fouls Johnson and sends him to the line with 3.2 seconds left. He makes the first, but misses the second. Hedo rebounds and throws it down the court, but the Magic can't get a shot off as time expires. Atlanta wins.

Final: Atlanta Hawks 93, Orlando Magic 90

THIRD QUARTER
Second half underway now in Orlando and the Magic will try to build off that great second quarter. They outscored the Hawks 31-12 in the second period, but the test now will be to keep the lead and maintain a comfortable cushion for the duration of the second half.

Joe Johnson opens the third with a pair of free throws (Grant picks up his third foul), but the Magic get on the board as Howard works against Lorenzen Wright and gets a floater to go in. Dwight now has 14 points, but surprisingly enough, only three rebounds. Grant goes in for a baseline dunk and is fouled by Josh Smith (his third). He goes to the line and hits both free throws to make it a 14-point Magic lead. Johnson hits back-to-back shots from just about the same spot on the floor to pull the Hawks within 10 points. Johnson now has 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Battie's layup increases the lead back to 12, but Tyronn Lue gets in on the action with a three that cuts the lead to single digits at nine, 61-52.

The Hawks are starting to catch fire as a Josh Smith bucket makes it a seven point Magic lead. And it gets worse, the 10th Magic turnover of the game gives the ball back to the Hawks. Brian Hill calls a timeout to regroup.

After the timeout, Johnson hits another one as Atlanta closes within five. But Hedo ends the run by the Hawks by draining a three and bring it back to an eight-point game. At the other end, Smith hits a shot to bring it back to six and Johnson swishes a three as Atlanta has made it a one-possession game. Hedo is then called for a travel while attempting to cut to the basket (turnover No. 11 for Orlando). Johnson is fouled by Hill and hits both free throws as Orlando's once mighty 14 point lead has fallen to just one, 64-63.

Darko Milicic's hook shot puts Orlando back up by three, but Josh Childress hits one from beyond the arc to tie the game. After Pachulia is called with an offensive foul, Jameer hits a jumper and the Magic regain the lead. Jameer then hits another one (just inside the three-point line) to once again make it a two-possession Orlando lead, 70-66, with 2:22 remaining in the third.

After a timeout, Atlanta comes out quick and gets a bucket from Childress - an indication that they are not prepared to fall apart like they did in the second quarter. Howard is called for an offensive foul and the Magic are beyond the limit, so that sends Johnson to the free throw line. He makes both and ties the game at 70 with 1:42 left until the fourth quarter. Statistically, it is a close game. The Magic are shooting 59.6 percent, while Atlanta is at 59.2. Both teams also have 12 turnovers. The crowd is going nuts now during at Atlanta possession, which can only mean one thing - J.J. Redick has just checked into the game. With Grant on the bench with four fouls and Keyon sidelined with sprained ligaments in his right thumb, this will be a good chance for J.J. to show what he can do in a close game.

Wow! Dwight just got Shelden Williams on a dunk for the third - yes, third - time tonight. He fouls Howard in the process and the Magic big man hits the free throw. Atlanta fails to get anything going at the other end and the Magic will take the last shot of the quarter. Jameer's attempt this time doesn't fall and the quarter ends with a three-point Magic lead.

End of third quarter: Orlando Magic 73, Atlanta Hawks 70

SECOND QUARTER
Magic get on the board first as Arroyo finds Bogans open for a three and the Kentucky Wildcat knocks it down to move Orlando within one, 29-28. The Magic then regain the lead by hitting Orlando's fourth three-pointer of the night to give the Magic a two-point lead, 31-29. After a Hawks miss, the Magic lead increases to four with a Tony Battie jumper and the fun doesn't stop there. Another Atlanta miss leads to Arroyo finding Battie wide open in the lane for a big two handed dunk. Atlanta calls timeout as the Magic have gone on an 8-0 run to take a six-point lead.

Maybe Atlanta's strategy tonight was to employ "12 Minutes of Terror" because when those 12 minutes expired, they went stone cold. Zaza Pachulia finally hit a shot before the clock expired to break a 10-point Magic run, but Orlando still holds a six point lead, 37-31, at the 6:55 mark. Arroyo, who has three assists in six minutes of action, goes to the line and hits 1-of-2. However, Atlanta's sloppy effort continues as Tyronn Lue mishandles a pass for turnover No. 7 for the Hawks.

After a timeout, Josh Smith's layup brings Atlanta back within seven, but Battie scores his 11th and 12th points of the night on another jumper. A great start for the night by Battie. Pachulia, who always seems to get hyped up to play his former team, scores again to keep the Hawks within seven. Pachulia now has six points on 3-of-5 shooting. Dwight is fouled at the other end and helps for the charity stripe to show off that "gooseneck" or "goosehead" form. The form looks good on the first, but he misses the second and Orlando gets the offensive boards. They get in back inside to Dwight and he is fouled another time - this one by Joe Johnson. He misses the first free throw, but the second one goes in as the Magic lead is nine, 44-35, at the 4:00 mark.

Big dunk by Big 'D' as Shelden Williams experiences his second Dwight thunder dunk of the night (okay, now I understand why he came prepared with the 80s video star shirt). This time, Shelden fouls Dwight and D12 knocks down the three-point play as the Magic get their biggest lead of the night at 12, 47-35.

The Magic have opened up a 51-39 lead with 1:14 remaining as turnovers and poor shots (good Magic 'D') have given Orlando a little bit of a cushion. Final minute and Hawks have possession, Joe Johnson working on Keith Bogans, but Bogans holds his ground and Johnson misses a turnaround jumper. That leads to a Magic fastbreak and Hedo finishes to make it a 53-39 game. Joe Johnson hits a shot, but in the final second of the half, Jameer cans a shot against two Atlanta defenders and the Magic head into halftime with a 55-41 lead.

Halftime: Orlando Magic 55, Atlanta Hawks 41.

FIRST QUARTER
Dwight Howard wins the opening tip and the Magic get on the board right away as Jameer Nelson sinks a three. After Joe Johnson hit a shot at the other end, the Magic got another three from Jameer, followed by a fastbreak dunk from Hedo Turkoglu to take the early 8-2 lead. Jameer gets another bucket and Tony Battie also has a pair as the Magic have a 14-10 lead at the 7:28 mark. Josh Smith hits a long two to make it a two point game and the Magic can't convert as a Darko Milicic hook (he just checked in for Battie) falls short. At the other end, second year player Marvin Williams sinks a shot to tie the game.

Both teams off to a scorching mark from the field. The Magic have connected on 8-of-11 (72.7 percent), while the Hawks have been equally impressive with a 8-of-12 start (66.7 percent). It's an 18-18 game with 5:16 left in the opening quarter. Jameer Nelson has started off with 8 points from Orlando, while Josh Smith has 8 for the Hawks and Joe Johnson has added 6.

After a timeout, Hedo misses on a three attempt, but Darko is able to tip the ball inside to Dwight who slams one down on rookie Shelden Williams. Dwight got so high that he almost came down on the shoulders of J.J. Redick's former Duke teammate. By the way, Shelden has some type of an under-the-jersey shirt that is covering one of his sleeves. I can only assume it is to help aid an ailing right shoulder, but seriously, it looks like something straight out of a 1980s Michael Jackson video. Remember those hideous 80s outfits? Yikes!

Josh Smith and Joe Johnson are a combined 8-of-12 from the field and have provided 19 of Atlanta's 25 points. The Hawks currently have a one-point lead (25-24) with 2:22 left. Make that a three point lead after Josh Childress tapped back a Zaza Pachulia miss. The Magic fail to connect on the other end (Jameer missed three) and Pachulia connects on a jumper as the Hawks lead is now five, 29-24, inside the two minute mark.

Carlos Arroyo checks into the game for Jameer as Dwight goes to the line to shoot a pair. He misses the first, but connects on the second to cut the deficit to four, 29-25 with 1:11 remaining. Joe Johnson misses a jumper at the other end, but the Magic can't get within one possession as Dwight is called for a travel as he attempted to make a move to the basket on Pachulia. Shelden Williams missed one from around 18 feet and the Magic have one last shot as the quarter ends. But as Grant Hill tries to make a move inside before passing out to Arroyo, he is called for an offensive foul and the quarter comes to a close.

End of first quarter: Atlanta Hawks 29, Orlando Magic 24

PREGAME
We're going to switch things up a bit tonight. Instead of doing updates in a minute-by-minute fashion, I'm going to summarize the game by quarter. The updates will still come just as frequently, but you'll have a better idea at how the game progressed through each quarter. Please Email me and let me know what you think of the new format.

Starting lineups for tonight's contest: For the Atlanta Hawks, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, Lorenzen Wright, Joe Johnson and Tyronn Lue. And for the Magic, Hedo Turkoglu, Tony Battie, Dwight Howard, Grant Hill and Jameer Nelson.

Inactives tonight for Orlando will be James Augustine, Trevor Ariza (MCL) and Keyon Dooling (sprained ligaments - right thumb). For those of you wondering, Keyon injured his thumb in the Dallas game when he fell into the photographers along the baseline. For Atlanta, Speedy Claxton and Esteban Bastista will sit this one out.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Jan. 26 vs. Atlanta (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 36-31 vs. Atlanta (25-9 at home, 11-22 at Atlanta) during regular season action, including 1-1 this season (see recaps below)…The teams split 2-2 last season...Orlando is 4-1 vs. the Hawks in the playoffs (1996 East Semis)...The Magic have won nine of the last 14 regular season meetings, and 19 of the last 28...Orlando has won five straight and 13 of the last 14 matchups at home, but has lost the last four meetings on the road…Head Coach Brian Hill was an assistant with Atlanta for four seasons (1986-90)…Dwight Howard attended SW Atlanta Christian Academy…Assistant Coach Morlon Wiley spent time with the Hawks during his playing career…Trainer Tom Smith worked with the Hawks for six seasons from 2000-05 as the assistant athletic trainer…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Atlanta, see p. 235 of the media guide.

Nov. 25 vs. Atlanta – Magic 98, Hawks 79: Six Magic players scored in double figures, led by Carlos Arroyo’s 15 points, as Orlando routed Atlanta, 98-79, at a sold-out TD Waterhouse Centre. It was the third straight victory for Orlando and its sixth straight win at home. Hedo Turkoglu scored 14 points, while Dwight Howard added 11 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double. Keith Bogans netted a season-high 13 points, starting in place of Grant Hill, who missed the game due to personal reasons. Joe Johnson and Shelden Williams paced the Hawks with 16 points each. The Magic were in control from start to finish, leading 31-18 after the first quarter and 57-29 at halftime. They led by as many as 30 points. Rookie J.J. Redick made his NBA debut in the waning moments and scored his first points as a pro.

Nov. 5 @ Atlanta – Hawks 95, Magic 82: Joe Johnson scored a game-high 31 points, as Atlanta defeated Orlando, 95-82, at Philips Arena. Zaza Pachulia had 17 points for the Hawks, while Josh Smith tallied 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Carlos Arroyo led the Magic with 22 points and went a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor. Orlando committed 22 turnovers and tied a franchise-low with just eight assists. Atlanta led 22-11 after the first quarter and 46-35 at halftime. The Magic opened the second half with a 15-4 run and tied the game at 50 after a short jumper by Hedo Turkoglu midway through the third quarter. However, they could not get over the hump and never claimed the lead. Johnson scored the Hawks’ next seven points and helped Atlanta record the victory.

BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. HAWKS: 40 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Atlanta, 12-8-01)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 40 pts., Joe Johnson (@ Atlanta, 3-19-06)