<p>MILWAUKEE &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Khris Middleton had 24 as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-117 on Thursday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams. </p>
<p>Bobby Portis added a season-high 23 points as the Bucks ended a five-game home losing streak. </p>
<p>Milwaukee never trailed and led by as many as 21 to defeat Philadelphia for the fourth consecutive time. In their only previous meeting this season, the Bucks won 109-105 in overtime at Philadelphia on March 17.</p>
<p>Joel Embiid scored 24 points for the Sixers. Shake Milton had 20 off the bench. </p>
<p>The Bucks, who hadn’t played since Monday, improved to 36-22 and hold the third seed in the East. The Sixers, playing for the fifth time in eight days, fell to 39-20 and into a tie with idle Brooklyn for the top spot. Philadelphia plays in Milwaukee again Saturday.</p>
<p>The Sixers got closer to full strength with the return of two starters. Tobias Harris, who has been dealing with a right knee issue, came back after missing three games. Seth Curry, who missed Wednesday’s game with left hip flexor soreness, also returned to the lineup. </p>
<p>Another starter, Ben Simmons, one of the league’s top defenders, missed a third consecutive game with an unspecified illness. </p>
<p>The Bucks jumped out to 10-0 lead and led by as many as 20 — at 33-13 — in the opening quarter. Milwaukee hit its first 10 shots, including five 3-pointers. The Bucks finished the quarter connecting on 14 of 19 shots and held a 40-26 lead. </p>
<p>The Bucks maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter and led 77-60 at the half on 66% shooting. Middleton had 21 first-half points. </p>
<p>Philadelphia cut the lead to nine with 2:51 left in the third, but the Bucks closed the quarter with a 14-2 run, sparked by three straight 3-pointers by Portis, to lead 108-87. </p>
<p>The Sixers pulled within six points with 7 seconds remaining in the game against the Bucks reserves, prompting Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer to reinsert his starters to close out the game. </p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>76ers: Former Bucks player George Hill started for Simmons. … G/F Furkan Korkmaz was inactive after spraining an ankle against Phoenix on Wednesday night. … Veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver was signed to a second 10-day deal. </p>
<p>Bucks: Reported no injuries before the game. … Antetokounmpo didn’t appear limited after missing the final four minutes of overtime of Monday’s game against Phoenix after experiencing what he described as a cramp in his calf. … Signed F Justin Jackson to a two-way contract. Jackson fills the spot of F Mamadi Diakite, who signed a multiyear standard NBA contract with the team.</p>
<hr />
<p>More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>