ndrew Bogut continued his recent tear with 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and the Milwaukee Bucks beat cold-shooting Atlanta 87-80 on Wednesday night.
The Hawks, losers of 18 of their last 20 in Milwaukee, failed to hit a field goal for more than 12 minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters, missing 13 straight shots before Anthony Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 1:04 left.
It was a sweet homecoming for the Bucks, who lost all three on a short West Coast trip and were without Mo Williams, their second leading scorer, out with flu-like symptoms.
Still, the Bucks couldn't put the Hawks away until late despite Atlanta's dismal shooting performance. Atlanta, which shot 44 percent through three quarters, fell to 36 percent for the game after going 2-for-17 from the field in the fourth.
After two free throws by Marvin Williams, who scored 22 points, tied the game at 74-all with four minutes left, the Bucks went on a 7-0 run with a 3-pointer by Charlie Bell, a layup by Charlie Villanueva and a jumper by Royal Ivey, who replaced Mo Williams in the lineup.
Johnson hit a 3 with 1:04 to play to make it 81-77, Marvin Williams added a 3-point play to make it 83-80 with 34 seconds and Johnson had a chance to tie it after Milwaukee turned it over in the backcourt.
But he stepped out of bounds trying to line up a tying 3-pointer, and Bogut, who has averaged 21.8 points and 10.5 rebounds over his last four games, sealed the game on a dunk off Bobby Simmons' inbounds pass.
Ivey, who signed with Milwaukee this offseason after playing his first three years in Atlanta, had nine points, eight rebounds and six assists. Michael Redd added 17 points and rookie Yi Jianlian scored 16 points and had nine rebounds.
Josh Smith had 19 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks for Atlanta and Joe Johnson, the Hawks' leading scorer who has struggled in his career against the Bucks, added 12 points.
The game was competitive up until the Hawks began missing their shots, with the score tied after three quarters and at halftime and neither team leading by more than six points until the fourth.
Notes: Ivey, in his fourth year, had six points, five assists and seven rebounds at the half, a combined stat line he'd never reached in a game before. ... Yi received his Eastern Conference rookie of the month trophy before the game for his play in December. Yi is averaging 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds so far this season. ... Atlanta has not topped 100 points on the road this season.
Wed January 16, 2008 22:53 EST
COLIN FLY
AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee Bucks' Yi Jianlian finishes off a dunk against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of their NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008, in Milwaukee.
(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
ndrew Bogut continued his recent tear with 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and the Milwaukee Bucks beat cold-shooting Atlanta 87-80 on Wednesday night.
