Josh Smith scored 26 points and Joe Johnson hit the decisive shot as the Atlanta Hawks defeated the visiting Orlando Magic 85-82 on Wednesday.

Johnson broke a tie by hitting an 8-foot runner with 55.4 seconds left and scored 18 points in his return from a thumb injury as Atlanta (43-32) won its third straight game.

Jameer Nelson had 20 points for Orlando (47-28) in his return from a knee injury. But Nelson missed a game-tying shot with 6.9 seconds remaining.

Atlanta’s Jason Collins hit one of two free throws with 5.7 seconds left and Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu missed a last-second 3-point attempt.

Dwight Howard had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Turkoglu added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Magic.

The victory gave the Hawks a 3-1 edge in the season series. The two Southeast Division rivals are on a collision course to meet in the first round of the NBA playoffs in mid-April.

The Hawks led 82-74 after two free throws by Johnson with 4:11 left. Howard scored six straight points and Nelson tied the score with a layup with 1:10 remaining.