ATLANTA — Joe Johnson came out sporting a new look.

If his teammates have their way, he won’t be changing it anytime soon.

Wearing a black headband, Johnson scored 36 points — 28 in the first half — and the Atlanta Hawks romped to a 110-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a makeup game Tuesday night.

Johnson donned the headband to protect the back of his scalp after undergoing a procedure to treat a skin infection. It must have helped his shooting touch, too. He made six straight 3-pointers on the way to the highest-scoring half by an Atlanta player this season.

“He wanted to take it off at halftime,” Hawks center Al Horford said. “We were like, ‘No way.”’

Johnson has to wear the headband at least a few more games to cover his wound.

After that, he’s not sure.

“I’m not really a headband kind of guy,” Johnson said, breaking into a grin. “But for right now, I’ve got to wear it.”

With Johnson firing away, the Hawks went on a 20-0 run that started at the end of the first quarter and extended into the second. The Bucks missed 10 straight shots — plus turned it over four times — during a scoring drought of nearly 6 minutes.

Andrew Bogut led Milwaukee with 21 points. That wasn’t nearly enough against Johnson and the Hawks, who shot a staggering 63 percent (46 of 73).

“This was much needed,” Johnson said. “We were playing a Bucks team that’s really given us a lot of problems.”

Last year, Milwaukee surprisingly took the Hawks to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, even with Bogut out with an injury. This season, the Bucks had won two of three meetings, including a 108-91 rout in Atlanta back in November.

This game, originally scheduled for Jan. 11, was postponed after an ice storm crippled Atlanta. The Bucks were forced to return to Atlanta, and what a wasted trip it was. They fell behind by as many as 24 points in the first half.

“It’s just another one of those games where we didn’t play very well,” coach Scott Skiles said. “We were just too slow.”

The Hawks were bolstered by the return of Horford, the All-Star center who had missed the previous game because of an ailing left ankle. Otherwise, they stuck with the lineup that snapped a four-game losing streak last weekend: Johnson shifting up to small forward, with Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Teague starting in the backcourt.

The way Johnson played, it didn’t matter who else was on the court. He made 13 of 19 shots — 6 of 9 beyond the arc — to bury the Bucks.

Johnson swished his first 3-pointer with just under 4 minutes left in the opening quarter, erasing Milwaukee’s final lead. After Bogut tied it one last time at 17 with a hook shot, the Bucks suddenly went cold — and the Atlanta star couldn’t miss.

He hit another 3 early in the second, picked off a bad pass by Corey Maggette and knocked down another one. After Carlos Delfino broke Milwaukee’s scoreless streak, Johnson swished another 3. Then another, even though he was about as close to midcourt as he was to the arc. And, yes, one more.

Johnson finally missed on his final two 3-pointers of the half, apparently tired from all that shooting. He came up short of his career high, 42 points, largely because he came out near the end of the third quarter with the Hawks comfortably ahead and didn’t return.

“I had my legs under me,” Johnson said. “It was just a feeling. I was just letting it go.”

The Hawks led by as many as 33 down the stretch as both teams emptied their benches.

“We haven’t had a win like this all year,” coach Larry Drew said. “Hopefully a game like this will give us some juice.”

NOTES: Johnson came up shy of his career high for points in a half — 32 at Chicago on Jan. 28, 2006. … Bucks G Michael Redd took part in the shootaround but hasn’t had a chance to get in a full-contact practice. He hasn’t played since January 2010, when he tore both the anterior cruciate and the medial collateral ligaments in his left knee. … Teague, who tied his career high with 24 points in Atlanta’s last game, scored just six points on a pair of late 3s. But Drew was pleased with what he brought to the team in other areas. “He set the tone for us,” the coach said. “His speed and quickness were a big factor.” … Because of the makeup game, both teams will have to play on back-to-back nights. At least the Hawks get both games at home, facing Denver on Wednesday. The Bucks were traveling back to Milwaukee to host Orlando.

MILWAUKEE (85)

Delfino 6-10 0-0 13, Mbah a Moute 1-6 0-0 2, Bogut 10-17 1-1 21, Jennings 1-8 2-2 4, Salmons 4-10 2-3 10, Boykins 1-4 0-0 2, Dooling 1-4 0-1 3, Sanders 1-5 3-4 5, Maggette 4-6 2-2 11, Douglas-Roberts 1-4 0-0 2, Barron 4-10 0-0 8, Brockman 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 36-86 10-13 85.

ATLANTA (110)

Johnson 13-19 4-4 36, Smith 8-12 1-1 17, Horford 7-12 1-2 15, Teague 2-9 0-0 6, Hinrich 3-3 0-0 6, Crawford 1-4 1-1 4, Pachulia 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 7-9 0-0 16, Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Wilkins 3-3 0-0 6, Powell 0-0 0-0 0, Armstrong 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 46-73 7-8 110.

Milwaukee 17 22 16 30–85

Atlanta 28 27 29 26–110

3-Point Goals–Milwaukee 3-10 (Maggette 1-1, Dooling 1-2, Delfino 1-4, Jennings 0-1, Salmons 0-2), Atlanta 11-19 (Johnson 6-9, Teague 2-2, Williams 2-2, Crawford 1-4, Smith 0-2). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Milwaukee 37 (Bogut 13), Atlanta 44 (Smith 14). Assists–Milwaukee 22 (Salmons, Barron 4), Atlanta 31 (Crawford 8). Total Fouls–Milwaukee 14, Atlanta 17. Technicals–Salmons, Pachulia. A–13,590 (18,729).

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson came out sporting a new look.

If his teammates have their way, he won’t be changing it anytime soon.

Wearing a black headband, Johnson scored 36 points — 28 in the first half — and the Atlanta Hawks romped to a 110-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a makeup game Tuesday night.

Johnson donned the headband to protect the back of his scalp after undergoing a procedure to treat a skin infection. It must have helped his shooting touch, too. He made six straight 3-pointers on the way to the highest-scoring half by an Atlanta player this season.

“He wanted to take it off at halftime,” Hawks center Al Horford said. “We were like, ‘No way.’”

Johnson has to wear the headband at least a few more games to cover his wound.

After that, he’s not sure.

“I’m not really a headband kind of guy,” Johnson said, breaking into a grin. “But for right now, I’ve got to wear it.”

With Johnson firing away, the Hawks went on a 20-0 run that started at the end of the first quarter and extended into the second. The Bucks missed 10 straight shots — plus turned it over four times — during a scoring drought of nearly 6 minutes.

Andrew Bogut led Milwaukee with 21 points. That wasn’t nearly enough against Johnson and the Hawks, who shot a staggering 63 percent (46 of 73).

“This was much needed,” Johnson said. “We were playing a Bucks team that’s really given us a lot of problems.”

Last year, Milwaukee surprisingly took the Hawks to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, even with Bogut out with an injury. This season, the Bucks had won two of three meetings, including a 108-91 rout in Atlanta back in November.

This game, originally scheduled for Jan. 11, was postponed after an ice storm crippled Atlanta. The Bucks were forced to return to Atlanta, and what a wasted trip it was. They fell behind by as many as 24 points in the first half.

“It’s just another one of those games where we didn’t play very well,” coach Scott Skiles said. “We were just too slow.”

The Hawks were bolstered by the return of Horford, the All-Star center who had missed the previous game because of an ailing left ankle. Otherwise, they stuck with the lineup that snapped a four-game losing streak last weekend: Johnson shifting up to small forward, with Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Teague starting in the backcourt.

The way Johnson played, it didn’t matter who else was on the court. He made 13 of 19 shots — 6 of 9 beyond the arc — to bury the Bucks.

Johnson finally missed on his final two 3-pointers of the half, apparently tired from all that shooting. He came up short of his career high, 42 points, largely because he came out near the end of the third quarter with the Hawks comfortably ahead and didn’t return.

PACERS 119, KNICKS 117

INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger’s jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana a victory over New York.

Granger, who missed Sunday’s 106-93 win at New York with strep throat, scored 26 points. Tyler Hansbrough scored a career-high 30 points after setting a career high with 29 Sunday. Darren Collison added 24 points and nine assists for Indiana.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and Amare Stoudemire added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost three straight.

BULLS 98, WIZARDS 79

CHICAGO — Derrick Rose scored 23 points as Chicago defeated Washington, a victory that moved the Bulls into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.

Luol Deng added 20 points and Keith Bogans scored 17, his highest total since joining the Bulls. Bogans took all of his 10 shots from behind the 3-point arc, hitting a season-high five.

The Bulls (48-18) moved a half-game ahead of the Boston Celtics.

Washington center JaVale McGee had a rare triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocks, the most by an NBA player since Toronto’s Keon Clark had 12 on March 23, 2001.

Rookie Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 27 points.

ATLANTA (AP)

Sporting a new look, Joe Johnson scored 36 points — 28 in the first half — and the Atlanta Hawks romped to a 110-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a makeup game Tuesday night.

Johnson donned a black headband to protect the back of his scalp after undergoing a procedure to treat a skin infection. It must have helped his shooting touch, too. He made six straight 3-pointers on the way to the highest-scoring half by an Atlanta player this season.

With Johnson firing away, the Hawks went on a 20-0 run that started at the end of the first quarter and extended into the second. The Bucks missed 10 straight shots — plus turned it over four times — during a scoring drought of nearly 6 minutes.

Andrew Bogut led Milwaukee with 21 points. That wasn’t nearly enough against Johnson and the Hawks, who shot a staggering 63 percent (46 of 73).

The teams were making up a Jan. 11 game that was postponed after an ice storm struck Atlanta. What a wasted trip for the Bucks, who fell behind by as many as 24 points in the first half.

The Hawks were bolstered by the return of All-Star center Al Horford, who had missed the previous game because of an ailing left ankle. Otherwise, the Hawks stuck with the lineup that snapped a four-game losing streak over the weekend: Johnson shifting up to small forward, with Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Teague starting in the backcourt.

The way Johnson played, it didn’t matter who else was on the court. He made 13 of 19 shots — 6 of 9 beyond the arc — to bury the Bucks.

Johnson swished his first 3-pointer with just under 4 minutes left in the opening quarter, erasing Milwaukee’s final lead. After Bogut tied it one last time at 17 with a hook shot, the Bucks suddenly went cold — and the Atlanta star couldn’t miss.

He hit another 3 early in the second, picked off a bad pass by Corey Maggette and knocked down another one. After Carlos Delfino broke Milwaukee’s scoreless streak, Johnson swished another 3. Then another, even though he was about as close to midcourt as he was to the arc. And, yes, one more.

Johnson finally missed on his final two 3-pointers of the half, apparently tired from all that shooting. He came up short of his career high, 42 points, largely because he came out near the end of the third quarter with the Hawks comfortably ahead and didn’t return.

The Hawks led by as many as 33 down the stretch as both teams emptied their benches.

NOTES: Johnson came up shy of his career high for points in a half — 32 at Chicago on Jan. 28, 2006. … Bucks G Michael Redd took part in the shootaround but hasn’t had a chance to get in a full-contact practice. He hasn’t played since January 2010, when he tore both the anterior cruciate and the medial collateral ligaments in his left knee. … Teague, who tied his career high with 24 points in Atlanta’s last game, scored just 6 points on a pair of late 3s. … Because of the makeup game, both teams will have to play on back-to-back nights. At least the Hawks get both games at home, facing Denver on Wednesday. The Bucks were traveling back to Milwaukee to host Orlando.

Joe Johnson came out sporting a new look.

If his teammates have their way, he won’t be changing it anytime soon.

Wearing a black headband, Johnson scored 36 points — 28 in the first half — and the Atlanta Hawks romped to a 110-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a makeup game Tuesday night.

Johnson donned the headband to protect the back of his scalp after undergoing a procedure to treat a skin infection. It must have helped his shooting touch, too. He made six straight 3-pointers on the way to the highest-scoring half by an Atlanta player this season.

“He wanted to take it off at halftime,” Hawks center Al Horford said. “We were like, ‘No way.’”

Johnson has to wear the headband at least a few more games to cover his wound.

After that, he’s not sure.

“I’m not really a headband kind of guy,” Johnson said, breaking into a grin. “But for right now, I’ve got to wear it.”

With Johnson firing away, the Hawks went on a 20-0 run that started at the end of the first quarter and extended into the second. The Bucks missed 10 straight shots — plus turned it over four times — during a scoring drought of nearly 6 minutes.

Andrew Bogut led Milwaukee with 21 points. That wasn’t nearly enough against Johnson and the Hawks, who shot a staggering 63 percent (46 of 73).

“This was much needed,” Johnson said. “We were playing a Bucks team that’s really given us a lot of problems.”

Last year, Milwaukee surprisingly took the Hawks to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, even with Bogut out with an injury. This season, the Bucks had won two of three meetings, including a 108-91 rout in Atlanta back in November.

This game, originally scheduled for Jan. 11, was postponed after an ice storm crippled Atlanta. The Bucks were forced to return to Atlanta, and what a wasted trip it was. They fell behind by as many as 24 points in the first half.

“It’s just another one of those games where we didn’t play very well,” coach Scott Skiles said. “We were just too slow.”

The Hawks were bolstered by the return of Horford, the All-Star center who had missed the previous game because of an ailing left ankle. Otherwise, they stuck with the lineup that snapped a four-game losing streak last weekend: Johnson shifting up to small forward, with Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Teague starting in the backcourt.

The way Johnson played, it didn’t matter who else was on the court. He made 13 of 19 shots — 6 of 9 beyond the arc — to bury the Bucks.

Johnson swished his first 3-pointer with just under 4 minutes left in the opening quarter, erasing Milwaukee’s final lead. After Bogut tied it one last time at 17 with a hook shot, the Bucks suddenly went cold — and the Atlanta star couldn’t miss.

He hit another 3 early in the second, picked off a bad pass by Corey Maggette and knocked down another one. After Carlos Delfino broke Milwaukee’s scoreless streak, Johnson swished another 3. Then another, even though he was about as close to midcourt as he was to the arc. And, yes, one more.

Johnson finally missed on his final two 3-pointers of the half, apparently tired from all that shooting. He came up short of his career high, 42 points, largely because he came out near the end of the third quarter with the Hawks comfortably ahead and didn’t return.

“I had my legs under me,” Johnson said. “It was just a feeling. I was just letting it go.”

The Hawks led by as many as 33 down the stretch as both teams emptied their benches.

“We haven’t had a win like this all year,” coach Larry Drew said. “Hopefully a game like this will give us some juice.”

NOTES: Johnson came up shy of his career high for points in a half — 32 at Chicago on Jan. 28, 2006. … Bucks G Michael Redd took part in the shootaround but hasn’t had a chance to get in a full-contact practice. He hasn’t played since January 2010, when he tore both the anterior cruciate and the medial collateral ligaments in his left knee. … Teague, who tied his career high with 24 points in Atlanta’s last game, scored just six points on a pair of late 3s. But Drew was pleased with what he brought to the team in other areas. “He set the tone for us,” the coach said. “His speed and quickness were a big factor.” … Because of the makeup game, both teams will have to play on back-to-back nights. At least the Hawks get both games at home, facing Denver on Wednesday. The Bucks were traveling back to Milwaukee to host Orlando.

Read More: Joe Johnson (G – ATL), Josh Smith (F – ATL), John Salmons (G – MIL), Andrew Bogut (C – MIL), Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks

Joe Johnson is just simply everywhere.

The Atlanta Hawks All-Star is absolutely shredding one of the best defenses in the NBA, posting 28 points in the full 24 minutes of game action to lead the Hawks to a 55-39 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks at the break.

You can hear the Buck-shooting references getting spewed all over SportSouth right now. He’s shooting the Bucks. He’s spearing the Bucks. He’s taking out the bow and arrow on the Bucks. Whatever the reference, one thing is accurate — Joe Johnson came to play today — black headband and all.

“I’m just taking what the defense is giving me, man,” Johnson told the team’s TV telecast at the break. “It’s been great. Defensively we’ve been doing a great job crashing the glass, getting in transition and getting good looks.”

The Atlanta shooting guard — who started this one at small forward — connected on his first six 3-pointers. He nailed 10-of-14 overall from the field and went to the line just twice in the first two quarters of the basketball game.The 28 points are the most by a Hawks player in the first half this season.

Normally offensively-challenged Milwaukee simply has no answer. They look as docile as a bunch of does. They’re not scoring and they’re not defending.

Andrew Bogut has 16 points and John Salmons 10 for Milwaukee, which is firing at a 44-percent (18-for-41) clip from the field.

Josh Smith has 10 points for the Hawks, who thanks to Johnson are connecting at 61-percent.

Atlanta just needs to maintain the course and they should easily dispatch of the Bucks in this one.