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Bucks: A triple crown of ineffectiveness, injury and insult at Atlanta

Andrew Bogut departs after taking a shot to the nose.

Associated Press  —  3/27/2008 8:20 am

ATLANTA (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks managed to dot all their i's on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks -- ineffectiveness, injury and insult.

Consider that their leading scorer, guard Michael Redd, went off for 19 points in the first quarter, but then managed just one point over the final three periods, taking just three shots and missing each.

Or that center Andrew Bogut had to leave the game with a potential broken nose with 7 minutes left with a potential broken after taking an inadvertant arm to the face from Atlanta's Marvin Williams, the player whom the Bucks also considered taking with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005.

Worse, of course, is that the Bucks lost their seventh straight road game, this one in lopsided fashion, 115-96, to a Hawks team that suddenly finds itself in contention for its first playoff berth in nine seasons.

Atlanta, winners in five of seven, remained a half-game ahead of ninth-place New Jersey for the final Eastern Conference spot.

The Hawks have been energized by the acquisition last month of guard Mike Bibby, who stayed in the game after driving the lane in the third quarter and spraining his thumb while taking a hit from Milwaukee's Dan Gadzuric. Bibby underwent surgery on the thumb in the offseason and missed the first 36 games while still with Sacramento.

Atlanta coach Mike Woodson wasn't surprised that Bibby, who finished with 16 points and three assists, tried to keep playing.

"Right now it's do or die," Woodson said. "We're trying to make the playoffs. That was kind of the conversation last night, how are these guys going to respond on a back-to-back? They responded because they want to make the playoffs as much as I do."

Josh Johnson scored 28 points and Josh Childress added 20 for the Hawks.

Milwaukee was without reserve forward Bobby Simmons, whose absence was attributed to the flu.

The Bucks, 6-29 on the road, never came within 10 points of the lead after Royal Ivey's 19-footer made it 94-84 early in the fourth.

Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, but was injured by Williams on an inbounds play. Bogut lay underneath the basket briefly before walking to the bench with a bloody nose.

"I'm not sure if my nose is broken or not, but after X-rays we'll fine out," Bogut said. "I wanted to get back on the floor, but obviously with all the blood, I couldn't do that. Had the game been close, I probably would have, but it made no sense at that point."

Redd finished with 20 points for Milwaukee, which has lost seven straight on the road. The Bucks' leading scorer with a 23.3 average, Redd had 19 in the first quarter, but he was just 0-for-3 in the final three periods.

"It's really kind of hard to explain," Redd said. "I wasn't any less aggressive. It just didn't work out after the first quarter."

The Hawks were coming off a loss at Chicago on Tuesday, and Woodson could tell they lacked concentration on defense as Milwaukee, the NBA's No. 22 scoring team, trailed 65-60 at halftime.

"I thought the second half we really capitalized on our defense," Woodson said. "We shared the basketball and got stops when we needed to."

Associated Press  —  3/27/2008 8:20 am