The Bucks (29-33) avoided a third consecutive loss with a 109-93 home victory over Washington on Saturday. Milwaukee, loser of four of its last five, has won two straight at home.

"I wouldn't say it was easy, but it was very convincing," said guard Ramon Sessions, who posted his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists. "It was a win we felt like we needed to have after losing two in a row against Dallas and New Orleans."

Milwaukee leads Chicago by one game and New Jersey by 1 1/2 for the final playoff spot. The Bucks have more wins through 62 games than they did in each of the last two seasons, when they missed the playoffs.

Milwaukee is trying to make the postseason without star guard Michael Redd, who's out for the season with torn ligaments in his left knee, and center Andrew Bogut, sidelined indefinitely with a stress fracture in his back.

"This will be one of the bigger stories in the league with all the injuries and all the trades, new faces, to weather that storm and to make it would be pretty amazing," said former Nets and current Bucks forward Richard Jefferson, who made the playoffs his first six seasons with New Jersey prior to last season, when the Nets finished 10th in the East. "But it's not story-writing time right now.

"Right now, it's the final stretch. We have 20 games to make our claim to be a playoff team."

Jefferson's former team faces a similar scenario. New Jersey (26-33) completed a 2-2 homestand with a 99-96 loss to New Orleans on Sunday.

The Nets led the Hornets by one in the final minute but committed two turnovers that led to four points.

"It's frustrating," point guard Devin Harris said. "We had two turnovers late, didn't get good shots at the basket and they got great shots. We played fabulous all game long, the energy was there. The point-guard play has to be better late in the game."

Harris had 26 points and a season-high 14 assists, but committed six of the Nets' 11 turnovers.

He missed a 104-102 loss at Milwaukee on Jan. 9 with a right hamstring injury, but had 19 points and seven assists as the host Nets evened the season series with a 99-85 win Feb. 3.

New Jersey's Vince Carter recorded his fifth career triple-double with 15 points, 10 boards and 12 assists in that victory. He's averaging 22.3 points, 10.3 assists and 55.1 percent shooting in his last three games in Milwaukee.

Jefferson shot 3-of-15 from the floor and finished with 13 points in the Jan. 9 matchup, but had a game-high 27 in the February win.

Milwaukee had dropped four of five at home to New Jersey prior to the Jan. 9 game, which was capped by Luke Ridnour's winning shot with 0.5 seconds remaining.