Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks to a 112-96 win against the Knicks

Power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘s double-double of 31 points and 14 rebounds took the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-96 win against the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum on Thursday.

Forward Khris Middleton also shone in the offensive with 25 points to help the Bucks notch their sixth victory in seven games and improve to 24-10, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, and take the lead in the Central division.

Center Luke Kornet , who made his first start of the season for the Knicks, in place of Enes Kanter , tied a career high with 23 points while forward Noah Vonleh managed a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.

But even that was not enough to prevent the Knicks (9-27), who were without guard-forward Tim Hardaway, their leading scorer, due to illness, from losing their sixth straight game.

Kanter, who finished with eight points and five rebounds, was expelled from the game after two technical fouls with ten minutes of play left in the fourth period.

The Bucks had earlier defeated the Knicks 109-95 in their Christmas Day clash at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.