Dwight Howard

ORLANDO, Fla. — Brook Lopez is a better player than he was the last time the Nets played in Central Florida.

Dwight Howard may need some convincing, though.

Howard once again dominated his matchup against Lopez, and the Magic used a late 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to fight off a comeback attempt and knock off the Nets, 95-85, tonight at the Amway Center.

With Deron Williams still in street clothes on the bench for the Nets, point guard Jordan Farmar had 15 points and 16 assists, but Howard was too much handle as he scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Lopez had 10 points and two rebounds.

Lopez scored 10 points in his last game in Orlando, on Nov. 5. In that game, he missed his first 13 shots and finished 3-for-17; tonight he took only eight shots, making four.

“Howard is tough on everybody,’’ Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “He had a couple of shots that didn’t go down.”

Down 48-38 at halftime, the Nets fought their way back into the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Magic 25-18 to get within 66-63.

Anthony Morrow, who scored a team-high 19 points, got hot in the third, scoring eight as the Nets shot 10-of-16.

The Nets finally took the lead, 68-66, on a 3-pointer by Sasha Vujacic with 10:09 left in the fourth, but ex-Net Ryan Anderson answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession, which started a 13-0 run by the Magic, who took a 79-68 lead.

“That’s what really great playoff teams and perennial playoff teams and teams that are led by Dwight Howard do,” Johnson said. “They put a lot of pressure on our defense. We couldn’t score anymore.”

The Nets responded with an 8-2 run, but Howard got behind the defense for an uncontested dunk to make it 83-76 with 2:57 left. The Nets then went to the “Hack-a-Dwight” defense, fouling Howard, a 59.1 percent foul shooter, whenever he touched the ball.

Howard missed five straight free throws in the fourth quarter, but with 2:13 to go and the Nets down, 84-80, the strategy backfired. Howard missed the second of two foul shots and Anderson grabbed the rebound, which led to a 3-pointer by Chris Duhon that opened up an 88-80 lead.

“That was really deflating,” Farmar said.

Kris Humphries, who had another double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), had the ball in his hands but couldn’t hold it.

“I had two hands on the ball,” Humphries said. “I think I actually somehow hit the ball into the rim and it popped loose. It was kind of a weird thing, and Ryan (Anderson) was able to get it behind me. So I’ll take responsibility for that. It was a tough night.”

While most of the media think it’s a foregone conclusion that Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will win the Most Valuable Player award this season, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy thinks Howard should get the award.

“Dwight affects more possessions than anybody in the game,” Van Gundy said. “I understand I’m biased, but I also watch it every night.

“He’s a big part of every play offensively, whether he gets the ball or not, because of the attention the defense gives him. And defensively, he can defend every situation on the floor, and it’s hard for people to get easy stuff around the basket on us, which (makes him an influence) on virtually every play at that end of the court, too. And to me, that’s what makes him the most valuable player.”

“Dwight Howard is definitely one of the best in the game,” Farmar said. “He — like Derrick Rose — is the focal point of his team. Everything runs through and around him and he makes it all happen.

“Guys are getting open shots because he’s setting screens and rolling hard and posting and rebounding — he’s definitely the centerpiece here. It’s a good argument.

“I think Derrick Rose is having a better MVP-caliber season, but they’re both right there.”

For more Nets coverage, follow Colin Stephenson on Twitter at twitter.com/ledger_nets