MILWAUKEE -- With Michael Redd on the bench because of a deep left thigh bruise, the Milwaukee Bucks were all set up for one of those fairy tale games.

You know how it goes.

The leading scorer watches while his teammates overcome the odds and come away with an inspirational victory.

Too bad this game turned out to be more of a horror story.

For the seventh time this season, the Bucks ended up on the wrong end by more than 20 points, a 101-77 spanking at the hands of the Washington Wizards before an annoyed crowd announced at 16,250 at the Bradley Center.

Those who were looking for the Bucks to rise up and carry on the momentum built Wednesday night in their road victory at Miami were very sadly disappointed.

The Bucks never held a lead, forced just one tie at 2-2 and trailed by as many as 34 points (79-45) late in the third quarter.

Don't be fooled by the 24-point margin. If the Bucks hadn't collected some garbage points in the fourth quarter, the difference would have been much greater.

The crowd was exercising its lungs just about 5 minutes into this debacle, and the gathering got more practice as it went on.

"I'd like to believe we're a lot better without Michael Redd,'' coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "You don't want to rely on (Redd). You'd like to think some other guys would step up.''

But it never happened. Add Redd's scoring average of 23.4 points per game and the Bucks still come up a few decimal points short of the Wizards.

"Michael or no Michael, it's a humbling experience,'' Krystkowiak said after the 16th loss in the last 21 games. "We just did not have it.''

Why use the last 21 games as a marker?

That's because after the Bucks' first 11 games they were 7-4 and in first place in the Central Division. Now they are last in the division and already losing touch with the Eastern Conference playoff contenders with their 12-20 mark.

"We're a deflated, down team,'' Krystkowiak admitted. "I don't like the quit word. We're wounded, but we're not killed.''

But in this game they were. The Wizards (16-15) were led by Antawn Jamison's 24 points. Caron Butler, a Racine native, added 13. Washington shot 55.4 percent overall (41 of 74) and turned 17 Milwaukee turnovers into 22 points.

"We caught them without Michael Redd and that's a little bit of a shock to them,'' Washington coach Eddie Jordan said. "That's a tough thing to get over.''

Just how tough it's going to be in the next few games remain to be seen.

Redd officially is listed as day to day, but he has not had any basketball activity since getting hurt Wednesday night at Miami.

"What I saw tonight is not the real Bucks team,'' rookie forward Yi Jianlian said. Still, it's hard to imagine the Bucks getting any better anytime soon.