MILWAUKEE (AP) – Michael Redd scored 21 points in the second half, including the game winning basket with 19 seconds to play, to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Washington Wizards 100-97 on Wednesday night.

The Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak to hold onto seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Washington now has lost four straight, but remains in fifth, just a game ahead of Milwaukee and Indiana.

The Bucks would surpass both in tiebreakers for the fifth seed if Milwaukee wins its final four games, regardless of what happens with the Wizards and Pacers.

Redd, who finished the game with 24 points, had publicly called for his Milwaukee teammates to help him down the stretch. The Bucks obliged, with Andrew Bogut scoring 17 points, T.J. Ford 16, and Joe Smith adding 14.

Gilbert Arenas scored 25 points, Antonio Daniels had 21, Jared Jeffries had a career-high 20 and Antawn Jamison had 16 for the Wizards.

Milwaukee led by six with 2:28 left, but Washington tied it 94-94 with 48 seconds to play on Jamison’s four-foot runner in the lane.

Redd hit a turnaround layup off Daniels with 36 seconds left to give the Bucks a 96-94 lead, but Jamison answered with a 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play to give the Wizards their first lead since early in the third at 97-96.

On the next possession, Redd again backed down Daniels, turning the other direction on the short jumper to give the Bucks a 98-97 lead with 19.9 seconds to play.

Arenas was stripped by Ford with 1.4 seconds left, and Ford hit two free throws for the final margin.

Jeffries, who had his previous career high on Monday with 16 points in Philadelphia, scored 11 points at the end of the first. He had surpassed his career high 36 seconds into the third quarter with a dunk, but was quiet for most of the second half.

The Bucks, the third best 3-point shooting team in the league, missed eight of their first nine from beyond the arc and finished 4-of-18 from 3-point range.

With Caron Butler missing another game due to a thumb sprain and Jamison in early foul trouble, it left Arenas to shoulder the load.

Even with Jeffries help, it wasn’t enough.

Notes: Bucks G Charlie Bell, who came into the game with 12 consecutive double-digit performances after having just 10 in the first 65 contests, was scoreless. … Butler missed his fourth game with a sprained right thumb. Coach Eddie Jordan said he hoped Butler will return against Cleveland on Sunday, at the latest. … The Wizards and Bucks meet again in Washington on Tuesday in Milwaukee’s season finale. The Wizards finale is the next night at Detroit. … Wizards C Etan Thomas made his eighth start of the season after missing two games with a sprained back.

AP-ES-04-12-06 2258EDT

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