Team in good position for playoffs.

The Milwaukee Bucks have put themselves in a good position to gain an Eastern Conference playoff berth, thanks to a 4-2 western road trip.

Now they have to take advantage of it in the final 11 games of the season, beginning with a home game Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks.

Suddenly the Bucks (36-35) have moved just one game behind the fifthplace Hawks (37-34), who have lost five in a row.

Milwaukee’s resurgence has come with a strong dose of Giannis Antetokounmpo, including his 32-point, 13-rebound performance against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

The Greek Freak continues to amaze and is on pace to become only the third player in NBA history to average more than 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists at the age of 22 or under, according to

The others were Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

Khris Middleton’s return from injury has played a critical role, and the Bucks continue to get big contributions from their bench, including Greg Monroe, Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic and Jason Terry.

But work remains for the Bucks to clinch their second playoff berth in three years under coach Jason Kidd. They still must play two road games against Boston and have key matchups against Central Division rivals Indiana, Chicago and Detroit. The Pacers, Bulls and Pistons also are fighting to be in the playoffs that begin in mid-April.

When the Bucks lost to Golden State in Oakland on Saturday, they got off to a sensational start. But their 14-point lead vanished and turned into a 19point deficit at halftime as Stephen Curry and his teammates began to click.

Kidd said he thought the Bucks could learn from that experience.

“We got off to a great start and they kept playing the same way,” Kidd said of the Warriors. “They didn’t lose their discipline.

“Then they made a run on us and we faltered in the discipline of making them work on the defensive end, not taking quick shots. Any time you’re going against a run, you want to make the opponent work and we just didn’t do that.”

The Bucks bounced back with victories against Portland and Sacramento, making it the first time since the 1988’89 season that they have won four games on a single road trip.

That team featured Terry Cummings, Ricky Pierce, Jack Sikma and Paul Pressey and was coached by Del Harris. It posted a 49-33 record on the way to a playoff berth.

The Bucks returned home from the West Coast on Thursday and will have a short home stand against the Hawks and Chicago Bulls before heading to play back-toback games against Charlotte and Boston on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Backup center John Henson is listed as questionable for the Hawks game after suffering a sprained left thumb against Portland. He did not play in the Bucks’ 11698 victory over the Kings.

Monroe had 15 points for the Bucks on Wednesday, while Teletovic and Middleton had 13 points each and Malcolm Brogdon had 12. Milwaukee made 16 of 35 three-point attempts, including 8 of 12 in a 44-point second quarter.

“We talked about our defense being our offense,” Kidd said. “To end the trip in sixth shows we’re playing pretty good basketball at the right time.”