With star Michael Redd still day-to-day with a sprained right ankle, Milwaukee got a season high-tying 20 points from Charlie Villanueva in a 104-87 victory over the short-handed New York Knicks on Friday.

Villanueva, averaging 11.3 points, played an effective 13 minutes after missing four games with a strained left hamstring.

"Charlie V was very aggressive coming off the bench, so he gave us that scoring punch," said Bucks center Andrew Bogut, who had 14 points and 17 rebounds.

A healthy Villanueva, who has been plagued by various injuries during his four-year NBA career, could give a big boost to the Bucks (6-8), who won't have to rely on Bogut and Richard Jefferson to carry the bulk of the scoring load with Redd out.

It's uncertain when Redd will return. He is averaging 21.3 points in four games, and hasn't played since Nov. 2.

Jefferson, averaging 18.1 points, had just 11 on 4-for-16 shooting on Friday, two nights after scoring 25 on 10-for-18 shooting in a loss at Utah.

He has fared well against Charlotte, averaging 24.5 points on 49.8 percent shooting in 13 career games.

Though facing a New York team that used a seven-player rotation after completing two major trades earlier in the day, Milwaukee held the Knicks to 34.4 percent shooting from the field and 7-for-30 from 3-point range.

"Obviously it's a game we have to have," said Bucks coach Scott Skiles, whose team is 3-5 on the road, but has lost two in a row and four of five away from home.

Milwaukee won the final two games of the three-game season series with Charlotte in 2007-08. The Bucks prevailed 93-89 on Jan. 6 over the Bobcats on the road in their last meeting.

Charlotte (3-8) blew an early 13-point lead in an 88-83 loss at Atlanta on Friday. D.J. Augustin - making his first career start - led the Bobcats with a career-best 26 points, but they shot 42.3 percent and couldn't prevent the Hawks from scoring seven straight points at the end of the game.

Augustin, a rookie from Texas averaging 11.5 points, has scored 47 on 18-for-35 shooting in his last two games.

"Coach told me to be aggressive," Augustin said. "I've been hesitating. He told me to take shots when I'm open."

Gerald Wallace had 17 points and was the only other player in double figures for Charlotte, which has lost five of its last six contests.

Wallace, averaging a team-leading 15.5 points, has been held to a total of 25 in his last two games. He averaged 20.7 on 23-for-39 shooting in three games versus the Bobcats last season.

These teams will meet again on Dec. 5 at Milwaukee.