EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, Nov. 2 (Ticker) -- Just two days into the season, the Milwaukee Bucks are already receiving dividends on their investment in Michael Redd.

Redd scored 33 of his career-high 41 points in the second half as the Bucks recovered from a slow start for a 110-96 victory over the New Jersey Nets, who were playing their season opener.

NBA TV highlights from Bucks-Nets: Play

Milwaukee made it a priority to bring back Redd in the offseason, re-signing the former All-Star to a six-year, $90 million deal.

Redd made his presence felt in the Bucks' first game, scoring 30 points, including the game-tying 3-pointer in regulation and six in overtime to lift Milwaukee to a 117-108 triumph in Philadelphia.

Playing for the second night in a row, the Bucks looked sluggish early as the Nets opened the game with a 21-5 run. However, Milwaukee rallied behind T.J. Ford, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half to help cut the deficit to 48-46.

"I thought we just relaxed and they kept playing," New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd said. "It was similar to what they did in Philly. We didn't come back with any fight."

After Jason Collins' layup gave New Jersey a 64-61 lead with 3:29 left in the third quarter, Redd took over, hitting a jumper and converting a three-point play to give the Bucks the lead for good and ignite a 24-5 burst that bridged the final two periods.

Redd scored 14 points during the burst, capping it with a pair of free throws at the 8:04 mark that made it 85-69.

"In the first half, New Jersey collapsed on me a lot and I forced some shots," said Redd, who made 12-of-20 shots and 14-of-17 free throws. "In the second half, I let the game come to me more. I stayed aggressive and picked my spots."

"Michael got a roll going," Bucks coach Terry Stotts said. "He did some of it on his own but a lot was his teammates. T.J. and (Maurice Williams') penetration opened things up on the perimeter."

New Jersey showed its frustration late as forward Richard Jefferson was ejected with 4:45 remaining. After tangling with Ford, he got into a shoving match with Williams, gesturing to encourage a fight.

"I don't know, he fell down and just got up and came towards me," Ford said. "It was just a physical game all night long and tempers flared."

Williams also set a career high with 23 points and rookie Andrew Bogut added 10 and 17 rebounds for the Bucks, who shot just 38 percent (35-of-92) but made 9-of-19 from the arc.

"This is two home openers on the road that we have won," Williams said. "These are two big wins for us."

Vince Carter scored 25 points and Jefferson finished with 18 for the Nets, who shot a dismal 22 percent (12-of-54) after the opening 12 minutes.

"We didn't rebound and didn't play defense and if we're going to have a season like this, we have to re-evaluate," Kidd said.

"With our talent, when we step on the court, we expect to win and can't expect anything less," Carter said. "They just kept coming and coming and outhustled us in the second half."

Overall, Redd, Williams and Ford combined to outscore New Jersey's highly touted trio of Carter, Jefferson and Kidd, 85-55.

New Jersey fed off the sellout crowd in the opening minutes, jumping out to an early lead as Milwaukee missed its first nine shots.

The Nets had a 29-17 cushion after the first quarter despite lackluster starts from Carter and Kidd, who combined to make just 1-of-7 shots. Jefferson, Collins and Nenad Krstic picked up the slack, going 8-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the line.

But Milwaukee chipped away and closed the first half by scoring 11 of the last 13 points, pulling within two on Ford's fast-break 3-pointer as time expired.