Howard amassed 22 points and 17 rebounds as the Magic recovered from a slow start to hand the Hawks their first home loss of the season.
“He’s a monster,” team mate Anthony Johnson told reporters of Howard. “At halftime, the coach challenged him to be the best man on the court and he stepped up and did that.”
Atlanta was attempting to record a 8-0 home start for the first time since the 1993-94 season but instead slipped to a second straight defeat, despite 22 points from Joe Johnson.
The Hawks took a 51-39 lead into halftime but quickly lost momentum in the second half.
Vince Carter recorded 21 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who surged ahead on the back of a 21-6 run in the fourth quarter that put the visitors 90-73 ahead with 1:36 left.
The win moved Orlando (12-4) ahead of the Hawks (11-4) at the top of the Southeast Division.
