Maybe all the Orlando Magic needed after a slow start was a slap in the face. Dwight Howard came back from a bloody nose to finish with 29 points and 17 rebounds, and the Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 112-98 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Not even a hard hit could slow the Magic’s Superman. “I’m human. It’s not like I’m built of metal,” Howard said. “They did to me like they did the Wolverine. I bleed. I break bones.” Not this time. Vince Carter had 24 points with some big shots late and Rashard Lewis finished with 20 points, leading Orlando’s 19-2 run in the fourth quarter. The perennially poor free-throw shooting Howard also was 13 for 18 from the line. “Every time I step up there,” Howard said, “just believing it was going in.” The Hawks avoided embarrassment but not another road playoff loss. After a 43-point defeat in the opener, the Hawks led early but head home still searching for a way to stop the Magic’s 12-game winning streak. Al Horford led Atlanta with 24 points, and Joe Johnson had 19 points. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=Ar8aFbgdmuF8DGnkMtWCXja8vLYF?gid=2010050619