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 The Wizards sliced and diced through the Bucks' defense to shoot 50 percent with 66 points in the paint, giving the team a much-needed lift following Saturday's dispiriting home loss to Charlotte.
The victory moved Washington, eager to hold onto sixth place in the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of charging Philadelphia.
Michael Redd scored 26 points, Andrew Bogut had 23, and Charlie Villanueva had 24 points and matched a season high with 16 rebounds for the Bucks, who lost for the sixth time in seven games with another lackluster defensive performance. Milwaukee's opponents are averaging 111 points and shooting better than 50 percent in the last seven games.
The score was tied at 83 with 9 minutes remaining, but three-point plays from Darius Songaila and Young started a 12-2 run that built the lead to double digits with 6 1/2 minutes left. Young drew contact on a baseline drive between Bogut and Dan Gadzuric, but still found space to put up a shot that tantalizingly dropped off the rim and into the net.
The first-round draft pick from Southern California surpassed his previous best of 19 points with another three-point play, converting the free throw after driving for a layup to put the Wizards ahead 103-91 with 1:35 remaining.
The Wizards are 1-1 to start a five-game homestand as they attempt to tread water until injured stars Gilbert Arenas (knee) and Caron Butler (hip) return. Arenas was cleared for full practice last week and Butler was back at practice Monday, although there is no timetable for either to return to the lineup.
The Wizards did pretty much whatever they wanted on offense in the first half. They had 10 dunks, shot 55 percent, and 42 of their 57 points came in the paint. Near the end of the half, Dominic McGuire hustled to save an offensive rebound along the end line and fed Brendan Haywood, who dribbled with no resistance to the net for a dunk.
The Wizards led 57-44 at halftime, but the second half had an inauspicious start when Haywood missed a dunk. Royal Ivy hit a 3-pointer at the other end, starting a 19-6 run that tied it at 63. The Bucks shot 71 percent in the third quarter, with Bogut going 5-for-5, Redd 3-for-4 and Ivey 3-for-3.
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But Redd was the only player who kept his hot hand in the fourth. He scored 13 of Milwaukee's 20 points in the final period.
Notes: Milwaukee's Desmond Mason left in the third quarter with a bruised right knee but returned to the game. ... Jamison limped to the locker room in the final minute. ... Wizards coach Eddie Jordan on Butler: "He's feeling better. It's a good sign. He's just not ready to play tonight." ... Wizards rookie Oleksiy Pecherov missed the game with a sprained left foot. ... Bucks G Mo Williams missed his fourth straight game with an abdominal strain. F Yi Jianlian also missed his fourth in a row with a sprained ankle. ... Before the game, Redd spoke about the wear and tear of the NBA season and wished the regular season were shorter than 82 games. "In a perfect world, 60 would get it done," he said. ... Cases of Girl Scout cookies
-- from Wisconsin, of all places -- were everywhere in the Wizards locker room before the game. The players ordered them from the daughter of former teammate Michael Ruffin, who's now with the Bucks.
[Associated Press; By JOSEPH WHITE]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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