Hawks 110, Bucks 85
Joe Johnson broke out of a shooting slump in a big way, pouring in 36 points to carry the Atlanta Hawks to a 110-85 laugher over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Johnson, playing with a headband to protect an infection above his ear, scored 28 points in the first half and buried five straight 3-pointers in the second quarter when Atlanta (39-28) broke open the game.
Josh Smith had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Marvin Williams added 16 points and Al Horford returned from a one-game absence with 15 to help the Hawks pull within 2 1/2 games of No. 4 seed Orlando in the Eastern Conference.
Andrew Bogut had 21 points and 13 boards for Milwaukee (26-40), which suffered its second consecutive embarrassing defeat. The Bucks scored an all-time franchise low in Sunday's 87-56 loss to Boston.
Johnson had been 3 of 27 from beyond the arc in his past seven games but hit his first six 3-pointers as the Hawks went on a 20-0 run spanning the first and second quarters to take a 37-17 lead.