Bucks, Wizards square off in DC

The Wizards will have their home crowd as an advantage against Milwaukee, which is only one-half game behind Washington for the fifth seed. The Bucks are also tied with Chicago and Indiana for No. 6 in the conference.

Washington just ended a five-game losing streak with Sunday’s 104-92 win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilbert Arenas scored a game-high 35 points, while Caron Butler netted 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

After Tuesday’s home tilt with the Bucks, Washington will close out the regular-season schedule at Detroit on Wednesday. The Wizards are 26-14 as the host this season.

Milwaukee has won both meetings with the Wizards this season and three of the last four matchups in the series. The Bucks, who also have won six of nine and eight of the last 12 against Washington, have been victorious in four of their last six visits to DC.

The Bucks have won three of their last four games overall, including Monday’s 113-93 drubbing of the top-seeded Pistons at the Bradley Center.

Michael Redd and Bobby Simmons each scored 19 points in the win. T.J. Ford had 16 points and 11 assists and Charlie Bell added 13 points and a pair of steals for the Bucks, who along with Indiana and Chicago are tied for the final three playoff spots.

Tuesday’s game is Milwaukee’s last of the 2005-06 regular season. It is 15-25 on the road this season after finishing 25-16 at home in 2005-06.