MILWAUKEE -- There are victories and then there are victories, and the one the Milwaukee Bucks came away with Sunday may be the sweetest one of the 18 they now have this season.

Playing without leading scorer Michael Redd and top reserve Charlie Villanueva, the Bucks saw an 11-point lead vanish in the final 1 minute, 40 seconds of regulation. But instead of lamenting the loss of that lead, the Bucks answered the Washington Wizards in overtime to come away with a 105-102 win at the Bradley Center.

"We finally got one of those wins where we showed a little character," said center Andrew Bogut, emerging with every passing game as the offensive catalyst for this team. "We showed a lot of heart to get back into that game."

Little did the Bucks know that a 9-0 run that gave them a 90-79 lead with 1:40 to go wasn't going to hold up in the face of the Wizards' mad dash at the end. It began when guard Mo Williams made an unforced turnover that led to DeShawn Stevenson's second straight three-point basket that made it 90-85 with 1:26 left.

The Wizards then scored five straight points in a 4.4-second stretch, with the tying basket coming when Caron Butler outmanuevered Bogut for a rebound putback of Antawn Jamison's free throw miss with 20 seconds left. Butler, who grew up in Racine, played like the All-Star he was last season and is expected to be again this season by scoring 40 points and playing 51 of the 53 minutes.

Williams' jumper glanced off the rim at the buzzer.

The Bucks then showed more determination in the 5-minute overtime than they have all season, especially after falling behind 99-95 with 1:53 to go.

"We talked about this being one of those defining moments where you do whatever you need to do to muster up some energy and courage," coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "We just never quit. The guys hung in there all the time."

In the middle of it was Williams, who first hit a 3-pointer from the left corner and followed that with another one from straight on to give the Bucks a 101-99 lead with 47.6 seconds left. Williams then clinched it when he found Royal Ivey in the left corner and Ivey nailed the jumper for a 103-99 lead with 6 seconds left.

"I felt really good coming through for my team in overtime because I felt like I blew the game for my team in the fourth quarter. I think it all started with me, with the turnover, and I think it went downhill from there," said Williams, who led the Bucks with 25 points, eight in overtime.

"I felt really, really bad. And I didn't redeem myself at the end of regulation when I missed that shot, so that made me feel even worse. But I'm a competitor. I stayed with it. I still don't shy away from the big shot."

The same could be said for so many of his teammates who found that little bit of extra to give with Redd (strained left knee) and Villanueva (low back strain) watching in street clothes. That included Ivey, who had 17 points and Charlie Bell, who came off the bench to play 42 minutes and score 22 points.

Bogut added 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, his eighth double-double in the last 10 games. Bogut also contributed six assists, tying him with Bell and Ivey for the team high.

But two of the biggest contributions came from two of the most unheralded Bucks, center Michael Ruffin and guard Awvee Storey, the 11th and 12th men on the roster who each played 18 minutes and contributed more than just the five and eight points they respectively scored. Ruffin added five rebounds and two steals, while Storey hit four of six shots with some aggressive moves to the basket.

"There's a lot of character on this team," Ivey said. "We just put it on ourselves to go out and play with a passion."