Magic Vs. Hawks Score: Dwight Howard Dominant With 31 Points But Orlando Trails Atlanta At The Half

Dwight Howard has never looked better, scoring 31 points in the first half. However, his Orlando Magic trail the Atlanta Hawks, 55-48, at halftime.

For the most part, Atlanta has single-covered Howard with Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia; both players struggled, picking up two fouls in the first quarter. Then Etan Thomas took his turn, with Josh Powell finishing the task in the second.

While Howard has gotten his, Atlanta has done a good job of holding the rest of the Magic players in check. Gilbert Arenas scored six points and no other Magic player has more than four.

The Hawks have also gotten it done offensively, shooting a crisp 55% in the first half. Joe Johnson leads the way for Atlanta with 13 points while Al Horford has 12. Kirk Hinrich and Jamal Crawford each scored 11 points for Atlanta.

Due to having the lead, Atlanta was able to keep Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia each on the bench throughout the second quarter thus giving them four personals each in the second half to use when dealing with Howard. It will be interesting to see if Howard wears down as the game goes or if he can keep up this torrid pace.

For more on this game, Hawks fans should check out Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta, while Orlando Magic fans should visit Orlando Pinstriped Post.