Dwight Howard led the Orlando Magic to a 93-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA on Thursday.

Howard had 22 points and 17 rebounds, and Vince Carter added 21 points as Orlando overcame a 51-39 half-time deficit to move above Atlanta to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Joe Johnson poured in 22 points for the Hawks, who slipped to their second straight defeat.

The Chicago Bulls were unable to halt their recent slide as they fell 105-86 against the Utah Jazz in Thursday's other game.

Carlos Boozer had 28 points and eight rebounds while Deron Williams added 21 and six assists for the Jazz.

Luol Deng netted 26 points for Chicago but it was not enough to prevent their fourth successive loss.