Dec. 6, 2011 |

Get ready for Derrick Rose, D-Wade and LeBron.

Hey, and Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, too.

But no Dirk and no Blake.

The Milwaukee Bucks released their shortened 66-game schedule for the 2011-’12 season Tuesday, and their fans definitely received some good news.

The Chicago Bulls and Rose, the league’s reigning most valuable player, will make two appearances at the Bradley Center, as will Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

The Bulls will play the Bucks on a Saturday night, Feb. 4, and will return March 7. And the Heat will be at the Bradley Center twice within a two-week span, on Feb. 1 and Feb. 13.

But Bucks fans will not get a chance to see Dirk Nowitzki and the defending league champion Dallas Mavericks, and they also will miss the Los Angeles Clippers and reigning rookie of the year Blake Griffin.

Due to the lockout-shortened schedule, the Bucks will not play six Western Conference teams at home: Dallas, Houston, the Clippers, Golden State, Sacramento and Utah.

But Bryant and the new-look Lakers under coach Mike Brown will visit the Bradley Center on Jan. 28, the identical date on the original schedule released in July.

“It’s luck of the draw,” said Bucks vice president of business operations John Steinmiller. “It’s a marquee game, one our fans want to see.”

Durant and the on-the-rise Oklahoma City Thunder also will visit Milwaukee on April 9.

The original 82-game schedule is long gone, but a few remnants appear in the new four-month season.

The Bucks still will open January with a five-game Western swing, beginning in Denver on Jan. 2.

The original slate had the Bucks on the road for 12 of 16 games in January, and Milwaukee will be on the road for 11 of 17 games in the revised version. But two home games were added in January.

“Each season there will be a team that has to do that,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said of the western swing. “How often do we look at a team that is out west early and say, ‘They picked up a good road win?’

“The teams that can do that, it can propel you into a good season. If you pass that test, a lot of positives can come out of that.”

After the Bucks open 2012 in Denver, they play at Utah and Sacramento before heading to Los Angeles to face Griffin and the Clippers. The trip finishes at Phoenix on Jan. 8.

And what about opening night?

The Bucks will open at Charlotte on Dec. 26, the second day of the regular season, after five league games are played on Christmas. New Bucks players Stephen Jackson and Shaun Livingston will have a chance to go against their former team right away, while Corey Maggette will be wearing a Bobcats uniform.

It is the 27th consecutive season the Bucks are opening on the road.

And the Bucks’ home opener follows Dec. 27 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Milwaukee will be quite familiar with the Timberwolves – now coached by Rick Adelman – as the teams also play a two-game exhibition series, including the MACC Fund game at the Bradley Center on Dec. 21.

The Bucks also will play at home Dec. 30 against the Washington Wizards.

“We’re extremely excited to have two home games during the holiday week,” Steinmiller said.

Twelve of the Bucks’ first 18 games are away from home, so it will be imperative for the Bucks to come out of training camp with a cohesive unit.

“It’s a tough start,” Hammond said. “But you say, ‘Hey, if we can come out of January still standing, we have a chance to finish the season strong.’ ”

The Bucks will have just one set of back-to-back-to-back games, with home games against Boston on March 22 and Indianapolis on March 24 and a trip to Charlotte on March 23.

The team has 20 back-to-back sets after playing 23 back-to-back games last season.

Milwaukee has just two trips of three games or more, the early swing to the west and a three-game trip that features a Leap Day matchup at Boston on Feb. 29 and stops in Atlanta on March 2 and Orlando on March 3.

The Bucks will play three Western Conference teams twice – Denver, Phoenix and Portland – and just once against the other 12 Western clubs.

Milwaukee will not travel to Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Memphis, New Orleans and Minnesota during the regular season, and they will not face the Lakers at the Staples Center.

And the Bucks have just one nationally televised game on ESPN, an April 13 matchup at Detroit, while four other games will air on NBA TV (Jan. 7 at the Clippers, March 3 at Orlando, March 22 vs. Boston and April 2 at Washington).

The Bucks will have a five-game home stand in April and will play nine of 14 games at home in the final month.

“We have Saturday games every month,” Steinmiller said. “Our weekends held up well (with the new schedule).”

The Bucks will play eight Saturday home games and three Friday dates but no Sundays.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — Drew Gooden’s return from a 30-game fight with a left foot ailment could be the shot in the arm the Milwaukee Bucks need for their desperate playoff push.

Gooden scored 22 points off the bench and added 11 rebounds in his second game back from his lengthy layoff as the Bucks beat the Toronto Raptors 104-98 Wednesday.

The Raptors were unable to play spoiler, with the Bucks (30-45) badly needing to win to keep three games back of eighth-place Indiana in the Eastern Conference.

Brandon Jennings scored 25 points and added seven assists for the Bucks, while Andrew Bogut added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“Drew is a big part of this team,” Jennings said of his teammate, who hadn’t played since Jan. 21 because of plantar fasciitis. “He is a great rebounder and he is a great screen and pop shooter. When he is out there making shots it just opens up the offence for a lot of us.”

Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points, returning to the Raptors line up after missing their last game with a sore right ankle. DeMar DeRozan added 20 points for the Raptors (20-54), who have lost five straight coming off a Western Conference road trip where they went 1-4.

The Raptors didn’t have any answers as the Bucks beat them from the perimeter shooting 47 per cent from the three point line and inside, scoring 38 points in the paint.

“I thought the guy that hurt us was Gooden,” said Raptors coach Jay Triano. “When he came in he made jump shots against our second unit and that hurt us.”

In a hotly contested fourth quarter with the teams trading baskets, Gooden scored 12 points and eight rebounds. He followed up a key offensive tip-in with a 21-foot jump shot from the corner with 43 seconds, giving Milwaukee a 98-92 lead.

Leandro Barbosa responded with a 24-foot jump shot to bring the game within four points with 27.6 seconds left. Jennings made both free throws after being fouled on the subsequent inbound play extending the Bucks lead to 100-94.

DeRozan’s slashing lay up with 20 seconds was followed by two free throws by Gooden making the score 102-96 with 17.5 seconds left.

Barbosa’s three-point attempt with 11 seconds left fell short, hitting the front of the rim. Gooden finished the game off with another pair of free throws.

Bargnani scored 12 points in the third quarter, helping the Raptors keep pace, despite Jennings and Bogut each scoring eight for the Bucks.

DeRozan hit back-to-back pull-up jumpers to give the Raptors a 72-71 lead with 2:27 left in the quarter. On the Raptors last possession, Barbosa’s penetration led to an assist on a Reggie Evans lay up with 3.8 seconds left tying the game 76-76 at the end of the quarter.

Milwaukee started the second quarter on a 11-3 run, with the point guard tandem of Jennings and Earl Boykins scoring 15 points and seven assists in the quarter. Eight team turnovers by the Raptors helped the Bucks to a 52-49 lead going into halftime.

After starting the game shooting 11 of 13 from the field the Raptors cooled off taking a 28-22 lead into the second quarter.

Notes: Raptors next game is at Chicago on Saturday. … Raptors James Johnson’s 10 rebounds were a career-high. … Reggie Evans returned to the Raptors line up after missing his last game with a sore right foot … Michael Redd of Milwaukee played in his second game of the season. …. The Raptors were missing Linas Kleiza (right knee surgery) and the Bucks were without Ersan Ilyasova (Concussion). … Jon Brockman left the game in the second quarter with a left shoulder injury.

Raptors point guard Jerryd Bayless (5) splits the defence for a layup in a 118-110 overtime loss to the Bucks on Jan. 28. (Ron Turenne/Getty Images)

Despite being 15 games below .500, the Milwaukee Bucks still have a chance to earn a playoff berth. They would be in better position to get one if they weren’t closing games so poorly of late.

Before a key matchup with the team they’re chasing for the Eastern Conference’s final post-season spot, the Bucks continue their three-game trip Wednesday night when they face the Toronto Raptors.

This road swing ends Friday against Indiana, which is three games ahead of 10th-place Milwaukee (29-44) for eighth in the East. The Bucks fell two games behind ninth-place Charlotte with an 87-86 loss to the Bobcats on Monday.

That defeat resulted from another late meltdown. After giving up the final 12 points in Saturday’s 95-87 home loss to Chicago, the Bucks did not have a field goal in the final 5:10 on Monday and went scoreless in the last 3:52.

“It was a must-win game and we came up short,” said Brandon Jennings, who finished with 26 points but missed 10 of 12 shots in the fourth.

“We had chances to do it and I take it on myself that I should have came up down the stretch and made big plays. But I didn’t.”

Milwaukee has led in the fourth quarter of each of its last four losses.

While the Bucks have shot below 40 per cent from the field in their last two games and are last in the league at 42.7, they have shot 50.6 per cent in two meetings with the Raptors this season and won both.

Toronto (20-53) is among the NBA’s worst teams defensively, allowing 105.6 points per game on 48.3 per cent shooting.

Milwaukee had its highest-scoring game of the season in its only trip to Toronto, winning 116-110 in overtime Jan. 28.

The Raptors return home following a 1-4 trip that ended with Saturday’s 94-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Toronto, which fell behind by 40 points in defeats to Denver and Golden State during the western swing, dropped its fourth straight Saturday after leading by 10 with 8:27 left.

“We’re not moving the ball that well,” Raptors head coach Jay Triano said. “Teams are going to play zone against us, so the ball has to go inside and side-to-side.

“We’re a team that sometimes holds the ball. And when you do that, the zone can match up.”

Toronto could find it even more difficult to create offence if leading scorer Andrea Bargnani sits a second straight game with a sore right ankle.

Rookie Ed Davis, though, has shown steady improvement since missing the first 17 games of the season following knee surgery. He posted his second consecutive double-double Saturday with a career-best 21 points and 11 rebounds.

“I’m still fresh because I missed training camp,” Davis told the Raptors’ official website. “It’s only my 56th game.”

Davis could see plenty of time against Bucks centre Andrew Bogut, averaging 22.7 points and 13.0 boards in his last three road games. He had 24 points in the Jan. 28 victory in Toronto.

Milwaukee has won six of eight versus the Raptors and now looks to win three straight in the series for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Bobcats started with no available centers and finished without their top two point guards. They were overmatched on the boards and made key mistakes late with a makeshift lineup.

And they won.

Nobody has claimed the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot has been pretty, but Charlotte’s stunning 87-86 comeback win over the bumbling Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night took the wackiness to a new level.

Thanks to Gerald Henderson’s clutch play and 11 straight missed shots by the Bucks to close the game, the Bobcats stayed a game behind Indiana for eighth place in the East. Milwaukee sank to three games back with nine to play.

“It was just remarkable,” Bobcats coach Paul Silas said of the frantic finish.

Henderson scored the final seven points, including the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left. But Charlotte’s third straight win wasn’t preserved until Brandon Jennings’ nightmare fourth quarter ended with two missed layups and a 3-pointer that bounced off the rim.

Continuing an alarming trend of fourth-quarter meltdowns, the Bucks were held without a field goal for the final 5:10 and scoreless for the last 3:52 in their second straight loss.

“It was a must-win game and we came up short,” said Jennings, who scored 26 points but shot 2 for 12 in the final quarter. “We had chances to do it and I take it on myself that I should have came up down the stretch and made big plays. But I didn’t.”

Neither did Andrew Bogut. The 7-footer also scored 26 points, but was scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting in the fourth despite a huge size advantage.

Two nights after allowing Chicago to close on a 12-0 run, this may have been an even more bizarre finish for Milwaukee considering what odd lineups Charlotte had on the floor.

Starting center Kwame Brown left Monday afternoon to be with his ill daughter in Georgia. With Joel Przybilla (knee) and DeSagana Diop (Achilles) already sidelined and Nazr Mohammed traded to Oklahoma City last month, the Bobcats had no centers left.

Bogut carved up Tyrus Thomas in his return from bruised ribs for 18 points in the first quarter. Bogut had 26 entering the fourth with the Bucks ahead 72-65 when they got even more good fortune.

Charlotte starting point guard DJ Augustin left with a sprained left ankle and backup Shaun Livingston was lost to a bruised lower spine in just over a minute span early in the fourth. The last man standing was Garrett Temple, who was playing in the NBA Development League earlier this month and had appeared in two games with the Bobcats.

With Boris Diaw forced to play center and Stephen Jackson power forward, Henderson willed Charlotte to the victory as the Bucks’ ragged offense went awry.

“I knew we needed some scoring,” Henderson said.

The Bobcats got within 86-85 on Henderson’s jumper with 52 seconds left. After Bogut missed a contested layup, Henderson drilled a turnaround from the right wing to put Charlotte ahead 87-86.

Jennings then missed an open driving layup before Henderson grabbed a rebound in a wild scramble and called timeout from the floor. But Jennings then stole Diaw’s inbounds pass before missing another layup in traffic.

The Bucks, who held a 46-37 rebounding edge, grabbed the loose ball and Jennings missed a 3 from the left corner. Carlos Delfino then grabbed Milwaukee’s 17th offensive rebound, but his tip bounced off the rim as time expired.

“With 11 seconds left to go in the game, if you say you are going to get two layups and a wide-open 3 to win it and you don’t even have the ball, you would take that,” Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. “We just couldn’t make that.”

Henderson, who moved into the starting lineup when Gerald Wallace was traded last month, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jackson had 18 points for the Bobcats, who appeared out of the playoff race following a 23-point loss to Indiana last week.

Since then, Charlotte has knocked off Boston, New York and Milwaukee.

“Guys haven’t packed it in,” Henderson said.

The Bucks’ crushing loss marred the return of former All-Star Michael Redd.

When John Salmons picked up two quick fouls, Redd replaced him with 9:54 left in the first quarter in his first appearance in 14 months following his second major left knee injury.

Playing without a knee brace, Redd had two stints in each half. He didn’t score, missing all three shots while dishing out four assists in 15 minutes.

“I thought Mike moved around well,” Skiles said.

His team, though, is in trouble.

“It’s a very tough task for us to stay in the playoff hunt,” Bogut said.

Notes

• Silas wouldn’t be surprised if Przybilla, out since March 9, misses the rest of the season.
• Playoff fever hasn’t exactly gripped Charlotte. The announced crowd was 12,368.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—

The Charlotte Bobcats started with no available centers and finished without their top two point guards. They were overmatched on the boards and made key mistakes late with a makeshift lineup.

And they won.

Nobody has claimed the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot has been pretty, but Charlotte’s stunning 87-86 comeback win over the bumbling Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night took the wackiness to a new level.

Thanks to Gerald Henderson’s clutch play and 11 straight missed shots by the Bucks to close the game, the Bobcats stayed a game behind Indiana for eighth place in the East. Milwaukee sank to three games back with nine to play.

“It was just remarkable,” Bobcats coach Paul Silas said of the frantic finish.

Henderson scored the final seven points, including the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left. But Charlotte’s third straight win wasn’t preserved until Brandon Jennings’ nightmare fourth quarter ended with two missed layups and a 3-pointer that bounced off the rim.

Continuing an alarming trend of fourth-quarter meltdowns, the Bucks were held without a field goal for the final 5:10 and scoreless for the last 3:52 in their second straight loss.

“It was a must-win game and we came up short,” said Jennings, who scored 26 points but shot 2 for 12 in the final quarter. “We had chances to do it and I take it on myself that I should have came up down the stretch and made big plays. But I didn’t.”

Neither did Andrew Bogut. The 7-footer also scored 26 points, but was scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting in the fourth despite a huge size advantage.

Two nights after allowing Chicago to close on a 12-0 run, this may have been an even more bizarre finish for Milwaukee considering what odd lineups Charlotte had on the floor.

Starting center Kwame Brown left Monday afternoon to be with his ill daughter in Georgia. With Joel Przybilla (knee) and DeSagana Diop (Achilles’ tendon) already sidelined and Nazr Mohammed traded to Oklahoma City last month, the Bobcats had no centers left.

Bogut carved up Tyrus Thomas in his return from bruised ribs for 18 points in the first quarter. Bogut had 26 entering the fourth with the Bucks ahead 72-65 when they got even more good fortune.

Charlotte starting point guard D.J. Augustin left with a sprained left ankle and backup Shaun Livingston was lost to a bruised lower spine in just over a minute span early in the fourth. The last man standing was Garrett Temple, who was playing in the NBA Development League earlier this month and had appeared in two games with the Bobcats.

With Boris Diaw forced to play center and Stephen Jackson power forward, Henderson willed Charlotte to the victory as the Bucks’ ragged offense went awry.

“I knew we needed some scoring,” Henderson said.

The Bobcats got within 86-85 on Henderson’s jumper with 52 seconds left. After Bogut missed a contested layup, Henderson drilled a turnaround from the right wing to put Charlotte ahead 87-86.

Jennings then missed an open driving layup before Henderson grabbed a rebound in a wild scramble and called timeout from the floor. But Jennings then stole Diaw’s inbounds pass before missing another layup in traffic.

The Bucks, who held a 46-37 rebounding edge, grabbed the loose ball and Jennings missed a 3 from the left corner. Carlos Delfino then grabbed Milwaukee’s 17th offensive rebound, but his tip bounced off the rim as time expired.

“With 11 seconds left to go in the game, if you say you are going to get two layups and a wide-open 3 to win it and you don’t even have the ball, you would take that,” Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. “We just couldn’t make that.”

Henderson, who moved into the starting lineup when Gerald Wallace was traded last month, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jackson had 18 points for the Bobcats, who appeared out of the playoff race following a 23-point loss to Indiana last week.

Since then, Charlotte has knocked off Boston, New York and Milwaukee.

“Guys haven’t packed it in,” Henderson said.

The Bucks’ crushing loss marred the return of former All-Star Michael Redd.

When John Salmons picked up two quick fouls, Redd replaced him with 9:54 left in the first quarter in his first appearance in 14 months following his second major left knee injury.

Playing without a knee brace, Redd had two stints in each half. He didn’t score, missing all three shots while dishing out four assists in 15 minutes.

“I thought Mike moved around well,” Skiles said.

His team, though, is in trouble.

“It’s a very tough task for us to stay in the playoff hunt,” Bogut said.

Notes: Silas wouldn’t be surprised if Przybilla, out since March 9, misses the rest of the season. … Playoff fever hasn’t exactly gripped Charlotte. The announced crowd was 12,368.

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.

The Boston Celtics haven’t had any prolonged slumps, so the prospect of losing a third consecutive game has to be a bit foreign to the defending Eastern Conference champions.

With the way they’ve played most of the season, the thought of a fourth straight win has to be surreal for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Celtics will try to avoid their longest slide in nearly a year Sunday as they host the Bucks, who have blown out their last three opponents to get back in the playoff race.

Boston (46-17) won its first five games with recently acquired Jeff Green(notes) and Nenad Krstic(notes), including 89-83 at Milwaukee last Sunday.

The Celtics came out flat Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers and lost 108-103, then couldn’t recover Friday at Philadelphia. Boston shot 41.8 percent and got just 16 combined points from Paul Pierce(notes) and Ray Allen(notes) – 20 below their average – in an 89-86 defeat.

“We were dead tired, dead out of it, it looked like,” coach Doc Rivers said.

That 76ers certainly had that look Saturday in Milwaukee. Fresh off a 19-point win at Washington and a 20-point victory over Cleveland, the Bucks (26-38) shot 52.6 percent and cruised 102-74.

Milwaukee, which averages 91.7 points and shoots 42.7 percent – both NBA lows—has averaged 102.3 points and shot 50.4 percent while tying its longest winning streak of the season.

“Our defense has always been kind of stable. On the offensive end, we’re moving the ball better, guys are shooting their shots with more confidence,” said Luc Richard Mbah a Moute(notes), who had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. “We need to play that way for the rest of the season if we want to make the playoffs.”

Beating the Celtics could put the Bucks in playoff position. Tenth in the East heading into the day, Milwaukee is just one half-game behind Indiana and Charlotte – both of which play on the road Sunday.

“It’s pretty ridiculous, isn’t it?” center Andrew Bogut(notes) said.

There are plenty of reasons to doubt the Bucks can pull out a win at the TD Garden, though. Boston hasn’t lost three straight since March 28-April 2, 2010, and it’s responded to its four two-game skids this season with winning streaks of 14, four, four and three.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, has gone into a tailspin after its previous three-game winning streaks. The Bucks have followed with slides of five, three and four games.

They’ll at least be healthier than they were a week ago against Boston. Bogut missed that game with a muscle strain in his ribcage, while Corey Maggette(notes) should be available after sitting out two games with a knee injury.

Maggette was active Saturday, but coach Scott Skiles didn’t play him.

Bogut’s presence could be key. He’s averaged 22.8 points and 13.3 rebounds in his last four games against the Celtics.

Bogut will likely see an additional big body he’ll have to deal with underneath the basket, however. Boston expects to have Glen Davis(notes) back after its burly forward has missed the last four games with patellar tendinitis.

The Celtics could use him, considering they fell into a tie for the East’s top spot Saturday after Chicago won its sixth straight game.

Rivers, though, is prone to playing it cautious with his aging team’s injured players. Delonte West(notes), Shaquille O’Neal(notes) and Jermaine O’Neal(notes) are all being cautious in their recoveries.

“We want the one seed, but we want health, too,” Rivers said.

MILWAUKEE — With only nine players dressed, the Boston Celtics had no choice but to rely on their Big Three in the clutch.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Ray Allen hit the go-ahead jumper as the Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 89-83 on Sunday night for their fifth straight win.

“We got a nice little rhythm, truthfully. It really starts with our core group,” Pierce said. “At the end of the day we’re finding a way to win.”

The Celtics (46-15) held Milwaukee without a field goal in the final 3½ minutes, proving they have no problem closing out games even with just nine players dressed. Boston remained three games up on Chicago atop the Eastern Conference and four games up over Miami with the Heat struggling to finish games.

“We made plays at the end of the game, more defensive than offensive,” Garnett said. “We had to get stops and make plays and we made them.”

With the game tied at 82-82, Boston’s three stars came through. Allen hit a 17-foot jumper, Garnett made an 11-foot fadeaway jumper while being heavily defended and Pierce converted a three-point play with 18 seconds left to seal it. Garnett also grabbed a big rebound and made a key block late.

“We’re definitely not where we want to be, but we’re grinding it out,” Pierce said.

Boston got 17 points from Nenad Krstic and 11 points from Jeff Green, two of the Celtics’ five new players acquired in the last 10 days.

Brandon Jennings scored 23 points for the similarly short-handed Bucks, who have lost 12 of the last 16.

John Salmons hit a jumper and Carlos Delfino added a 28-footer to tie the game at 82-82 with 3:36 left. But Allen answered with his jumper and the Celtics dug in on defense, forcing turnovers on two consecutive possessions.

Jennings, who finished eight-of-19 from the field, missed an open shot on the baseline with 56 seconds left and Garnett grabbed the rebound before making his contested shot that gave the Celtics an 86-82 lead.

Salmons hit a free throw that made it 86-83 with 38 seconds left after Allen was called for a foul before the ball was put in play and the Bucks retained possession. But Garnett swatted away Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s layup attempt and pumped his right arm as Rajon Rondo grabbed the rebound and was fouled.

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“We knew the plays they were running,” Garnett said. “I let him go by and blocked it. We got the rebound and the game was pretty much over after that.”

On the ensuing inbounds play, Rondo found Pierce streaking to the basket. Pierce made an easy layup after a bad foul by Keyon Dooling and his free throw was the final margin.

“The whole game, we felt like we hung in there, we did a good job of hanging in there with them, but I feel like we shot ourselves in the foot, turning the ball over and not executing when we needed to at a crucial moment of the game,” Mbah a Moute said. “That really cost us.”

Mbah a Moute returned from missing two games with an illness to finish with a season-high 19 points and Salmons had 11 for the Bucks, who were missing Andrew Bogut (strained left side), Ersan Ilyasova (concussion) and Drew Gooden (left foot). Salmons just stared at the floor in the locker room with his knees iced, the look of frustration obvious after Milwaukee (23-38) reached the postseason last year and were expected to be at least a playoff contender.

Two nights after Milwaukee was outscored 31-15 by Phoenix in the third quarter on the way to a double-digit loss, it happened again with the Celtics. A one-for-10 stretch by the lowest-scoring, worst-shooting team in the NBA allowed Boston to turn a six-point deficit into a 69-65 lead heading into the fourth.

“I kind of take the blame for the loss, missing the jump shot and a couple of turnovers down the stretch,” Jennings said.

Boston has a slew of injury problems of its own, leaving Jermaine O’Neal (left knee), Shaquille O’Neal (right heel), Delonte West (right ankle), Glen Davis (left knee) and Von Wafer (right calf) at home for its only stop in Milwaukee.

The Celtics signed guard Carlos Arroyo on Sunday, but he’ll join the team on Monday. Krstic was acquired on Feb. 24 at the trading deadline along with Green for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

The Celtics have also signed Troy Murphy and Sasha Pavlovic in the last 10 days.

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So far, nothing has stopped Boston’s championship core from keeping up its torrid pace.

“I told our guys before the game, ‘We have two teams with a hundred injuries. They have starters out. We have our entire bench out.’ It was going to be a funky game and someone was going to have to win it. Let it be us,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We’re just doing it, you know? We’re just hanging in and winning games.”

Notes: Shaquille O’Neal turned 39 on Sunday. He hasn’t played since Feb. 1. … Davis missed his second game since straining the patella tendon on a dunk in a win over Phoenix.

BOSTON (89)

Pierce 8-13 6-6 23, Garnett 6-12 2-2 14, Krstic 7-8 3-4 17, Rondo 3-7 0-0 6, Allen 5-12 1-1 13, Green 5-8 0-0 11, Murphy 0-2 2-2 2, Bradley 0-3 0-0 0, Pavlovic 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 35-68 14-15 89.

MILWAUKEE (83)

Delfino 2-7 0-0 6, Brockman 2-4 0-0 4, Sanders 4-10 0-0 8, Jennings 8-19 4-5 23, Salmons 4-13 2-3 11, Mbah a Moute 8-13 3-5 19, Maggette 2-5 0-0 5, Dooling 3-7 0-0 7, Douglas-Roberts 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 33-80 9-13 83.

Boston 27 16 26 20 — 89

Milwaukee 26 23 16 18 — 83

3-Point Goals — Boston 5-10 (Allen 2-3, Green 1-1, Pierce 1-2, Pavlovic 1-2, Bradley 0-1, Murphy 0-1), Milwaukee 8-21 (Jennings 3-7, Delfino 2-6, Maggette 1-1, Dooling 1-2, Salmons 1-4, Douglas-Roberts 0-1). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — Boston 38 (Garnett 11), Milwaukee 47 (Brockman 9). Assists — Boston 23 (Rondo 8), Milwaukee 20 (Salmons 6). Total Fouls — Boston 17, Milwaukee 18. Technicals — Boston defensive three second 2. A — 16,110 (18,717).

WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE —

Fueled by JoakimNoah’s 17 rebounds, the Chicago Bulls pulled away from the Milwaukee Bucks for an 83-75 win on Saturday night.

Chicago has won six of seven to improve to 15-4 since Jan. 14, putting pressure on Boston and Miami at the top of the Eastern Conference. Derrick Rose added 17 points for the Bulls, who beat the Heat 93-89 on Thursday night.

It was Noah’s third game back following right thumb surgery.

“We are getting into a nice rhythm now that everyone is back,” Rose said. “Noah has come back and really helped us. I think we can get nothing but better as the season goes along.”

Noah said he is starting to feel more comfortable on the court, but knows he can play better.

“The more I’m out on the court, the better I feel and the more energy I have,” he said. “The longer we get to play together, I think we are going to find out how good we can be as a team.”

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored a second-high 16 points and John Salmons added 14 points for the Bucks.

Earl Boykins entered the game for the first time in the fourth quarter and scored Milwaukee’s first 10 points of the period. Salmons hit a 3-pointer to trim the Bulls’ lead to 78-72 with 3:56 remaining.

Rose then drove the lane and hit a wide-open Kyle Korver, who drained a 3-pointer. After Andrew Bogut hit one free throw for the Bucks, Korver made another jumper with 2:21 remaining to put the game away.

Carlos Boozer added 13 points for Chicago, which shook off a slow start to take the opener of an important five-game road trip.

“I like our team. Every night you get it from somebody different,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Both units are playing well right now. We still have to clean some things up, but I think the consistency is there now.”

The Bulls grabbed control midway through the third quarter. Trailing by one, they put together a 19-5 run to grab a 66-53 lead on Deng’s reverse layup with 1:27 remaining. Boozer had eight points in the surge.

Milwaukee made just eight of 23 shots in the third.

“Their defense is unbelievable this year,” Boykins said.

Bucks coach Scott Skiles was impressed with Noah’s energy and his nine offensive rebounds in the first half.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that,” Skiles said. “I didn’t play with Wilt Chamberlain.”

NOTES: Bucks F Ersan Ilyasova missed the game due to a concussion he suffered in a collision in practice on Friday with center Jon Brockman. He is listed as day to day. … The Bucks recalled rookie F Larry Sanders from Fort Wayne of the NBA Development League. … Chicago improved to 12-0 against Central Division teams.

AP-WF-02-27-11 0503GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Luol Deng scored 19 points, Derrick Rose had 17 and the surging Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 83-75 on Saturday night.

Chicago has won six of seven to improve to 15-4 since Jan. 14, putting pressure on Boston and Miami at the top of the Eastern Conference. Joakim Noah had eight points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, who beat the Heat 93-89 on Thursday night.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored a second-high 16 points and John Salmons added 14 points for the Bucks.