ATLANTA — The Milwaukee Bucks were bloodied and beaten Wednesday night.

Joe Johnson scored 28 points, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Bucks 115-96 to maintain the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points, but he left the game after Marvin Williams hit him in the face midway through the fourth quarter.

Williams' right arm appeared to hit Bogut's nose on an inbound pass from the baseline. Bogut lay underneath the basket briefly before walking to the bench with a bloody nose.

"I wanted to get back on the floor, but obviously with all the blood, I couldn't do that,'' Bogut said. "Had the game been close, I probably would have, but it made no sense at that point."

The Hawks also escaped a major scare when X-rays on point guard Mike Bibby's left thumb were negative. Bibby left the game in the fourth quarter and didn't return, but coach Mike Woodson expects him to play Friday.

The Hawks, who have missed the playoffs nine straight years, remained a half-game ahead of ninth-place New Jersey, a winner over Indiana Wednesday.

Johnson's 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer made it 45-43 midway through the second quarter to give Atlanta its first lead since 4-2.

The Bucks, 6-29 on the road, never got closer than 10 after Williams' 20-footer made it 96-84 early in the fourth quarter.

Michael Redd had 19 points in the first quarter but was just 0-for-3 after that.

"It's really kind of hard to explain," Redd said.