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In a battle of two teams in the East that are on their way to the postseason, the Milwaukee Bucks stayed hot with an entertaining come from behind 98-95 home win over the Atlanta Hawks. John Salmons was the star of the night, putting in 32 points for Milwaukee.

Salmons two biggest shots were a pair of tiebreaking free throws with 21.8 seconds remaining, to seal the deal for the Bucks. It was a great back and forth down the stretch between Salmons and Hawks All-Star Joe Johnson. Salmons though won the battle in the end as he put up 16 in the fourth quarter.

Carlos Delfino added 23 points for the Bucks. Johnson scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. Jamal Crawford had 21. Salmons, whom Milwaukee acquired from the Bulls in February, scored nine straight points midway through the final quarter, including a jumper that gave the Bucks an 89-86 lead with 6:50 left.

The Hawks fought back to tie it at 93 when Johnson hit a jumper with 2 minutes remaining. After a shot clock violation against the Bucks, Johnson hit a step back jumper near the top of the key over Salmons to give the Hawks a 95-93 lead. Salmons was fouled on a drive to the basket and hit two free throws to tie it at 95.

Johnson missed a shot with 45 seconds remaining. Luke Ridnour then missed, but grabbed his own rebound. Salmons was fouled by Johnson and hit both free throws to give the Bucks a 97-95 lead. Johnson held the ball for the last shot, but missed as he drove the lane. Ridnour grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He hit one of two free throws and Crawford missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The win keeps Milwaukee in the drivers seat as maybe the hottest team getting close to the playoffs. They have won 14 of their last 16 games and lowered their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to seven. A trip to the postseason will be the first for Milwaukee since the 2006 season.

Ridnour added 18 points and eight assists off the bench, playing 31 minutes. The Bucks are a force at their home court, as they have won 24 games at the Bradley Center, their most at home since the 2005-06 season.