"John Salmons had absolutely killed the Atlanta Hawks in three regular-season games.

But the Milwaukee Bucks guard started slowly and struggled with his shooting touch in the Eastern Conference playoff opener Saturday as the Bucks lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 102-92.

Salmons finished with 16 points after getting just four in the first half, providing at least some assistance for rookie point guard Brandon Jennings, who shouldered the scoring burden with a 34-point effort.

"Brandon really carried us throughout the game," Salmons said. "Hopefully he can continue to play like that and we can step up and help him a little bit more."

Salmons sank 6 of 18 field-goal attempts and was 0 for 5 from three-point range while playing 43 minutes. He did help fuel the Bucks' third-quarter rally with 12 points but did not score in the fourth quarter and took just two shots in the period.

"I played hard," Salmons said. "Shots that normally fall didn't fall, so I've just got to live with it and keep on moving."

Salmons scored 32, 32 and 28 points, respectively, in the three regular-season games, and he hit some key shots late in the Bucks' 98-95 victory over the Hawks on March 22 at the Bradley Center."