ATLANTA -- Magic in the middle, even in a halfcourt game, came out a winner again Saturday night in the NBA's Hoop-It-Up competition.

Hall of Famer Magic Johnson controlled the tempo and drove for a go-ahead layup as Los Angeles beat Atlanta 23-19 in the three-player game that is part of the NBA All-Star game festivities.

Johnson's team that included Lisa Leslie of the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks, Marko Jaric of the Los Angeles Clippers and celebrity Ashton Kutcher rallied to beat a squad led by former Hawks superstar Dominique Wilkins.

The Atlanta team also included Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets, the Hawks' very own Jason Terry and diminuitive "Malcom in the Middle'' star Frankie Muniz.

Muniz created the biggest stir of the eight-minute game when he launched and swished a high-arching 3-pointer over Kutcher right after entering the game.

Wilkins, known as the "Human Highlight Film'' during his NBA career because of his dunking ability, finally pleased the crowd by slamming one in over Kurtcher to give Atlanta a 15-12 lead.

But Johnson trudged in for a pair of layups and Jaric, who replaced the injured Corey Maggete in the competition, hit a 3-pointer and a jumper.

Kutcher, star of "That 70s Show'' and the movie "Just Married'' finished the L.A. scoring with a layup.

Wilkins did lead all scorers with nine points, shooting 4-of-16 to get them.

"I feel good. I was a little tired at the end, sweating profusely,'' he said.

"You get out there and I only know one gear and that's straightforward.''

The winners collected $30,000 and the losers $18,000 per team.