It is not how you start but how you finish.  Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva can certainly attest to that old saying after they led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 133-99 rout of the Dallas Mavericks at the Bradley Center. 

Villanueva registered a season-high 32 points while Redd was not far behind with 27 points.  Not a bad night's work for either considering Redd started the game with just a single point and Villanueva was not much better with four points.   

"It was a remarkable shooting night for us," Redd said.  "It was one of those good nights." 

Milwaukee as a whole started the game sputtering badly on offense as it shot just 29.2% in the first quarter.   Milwaukee heated up big time in the second quarter as it shot 83.3% from the field and went on to shoot a season-high 57.8% on the game.  Want to know how hot the Bucks were after the first quarter?  They missed just seven shots during the second (three missed shots) and third (four missed shots) quarters.

The Bucks were lethal from three-point land as the team knocked down a season-high 13 three-pointers.  The 133 points Milwaukee scored topped a season-high that was previously set last week at Sacramento.  Ramon Sessions added 21 points and Richard Jefferson contributed 15 points to the offensive barrage.

"It was one of those nights for us when the basket opened up for us," Bucks' head coach Scott Skiles mentioned.  "We started the game a little bit sluggish, which is understandable considering we just came off a trip.  Eight or nine minutes into the game we were able to regroup a little bit.  When you get hot like that, you are probably going to win no matter what you did on the defensive end."

The Bucks defense had not been playing pretty lately but put on show in this rout.  The Mavericks shot 36.6% from the field and got outrebounded 46-33.  Dirk Nowitzki was about the only Maverick to muster much offense with 30 points.

"We got them frustrated," Villanueva thought.  "They didn't play their best basketball and I think our defense was what caused it." 

The Bucks outscored the Mavericks 42-28 in the second quarter to take a 64-58 lead into the break.  The Bucks then used a 30-9 third quarter run to go ahead by 21 and the rout was on from there.  Redd was driving force behind that run scoring 14 of his 16 third quarter points during that stretch.

"We didn't give in," Villanueva said.  "In previous games, that was a team we would give in but we didn't give in today and we got to build from that."

The Bucks are now 21-24 on the year and travel east to face Atlanta Friday night.