"Orlando Magic executives envisioned this exact scenario when they traded for Vince Carter almost a year and a half ago. They foresaw Carter with the ball, the seconds ticking off the game clock, and his team desperately needing a score to ensure a win.

That vision came true Monday night.

Just two days removed from a potentially disastrous fall on a wet court in Charlotte, Carter returned to Amway Center and helped the Magic hold off the Atlanta Hawks 93-89. He made a pair of driving layups late in the fourth quarter, when his team needed him most.

"It never gets old, believe me," Carter said afterward, smiling.

The Hawks, who had lost 10 of their last 11 regular-season and postseason games to the Magic, arrived in Central Florida intent on making a statement.

But they still don't have an answer for center Dwight Howard or — for one night, at least — for Carter or backup point guard Jason Williams.

Howard scored a game-high 27 points and collected 11 rebounds.

Williams, meanwhile, gave the Magic the lead for good when he sank a 3-pointer from the right corner with 4:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. The basket gave Orlando an 84-82 lead.

The exploits from Williams, Howard and Carter helped the Magic overcome a 13-point deficit in the first quarter and a horrid shooting night in which they made only four of the 22 shots from 3-point range.

"Our perimeter shooting, other than Vince, has been abominable," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We had to do it just by fighting. After the first six minutes — that was a little bit of a disaster — I thought our guys fought really hard."

You wouldn't have known that the Magic (5-1) had dominated the Hawks (6-2) in recent months by the way Monday's game started.

The Hawks raced out to a 21-8 lead.

They didn't hold that lead."