As the 2018-19 NBA regular season comes to an end, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers put up a rare exciting, intense game at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday. 

In the end, the Bucks claimed a 128-122 victory, booking home court advantage against all teams in the playoffs as the league's No.1.

Giannis Antetokounmpo again dropped monstrous numbers with 45 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocks without any turnover for Milwaukee. Khris Middleton scored 22 points while Sterling Brown had 12. George Hill became the surprise from the bench thanks to his 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. D.J. Wilson contributed 11 points.

Joel Embiid put down a triple-double of 34 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for Philadelphia. J.J. Reddick and Tobias Harris respectively scored 29 and 13 points. Ben Simmons, though, only got six points, but he delivered 13 assists. Mike Scott also threw the opponent off guard with six three-pointers, contributing 20 points.

Though the 76ers had Jimmy Butler sit out for Thursday's game, it did not make things easier for the Bucks because they did not have Malcolm Brogdon either. However, Milwaukee's bad luck did not stop there because less than three minutes into the game, Eric Bledsoe, the team's starting orchestrator, was ejected with two technical fouls after clashing with Embiid.

Thanks to that, the Bucks had no choice but to put the ball in Antetokounmpo's hands, putting a target on his back for Philadelphia's defense. Since then, the 76ers sent Embiid to mark Antetokounmpo. Embiid's choice was simple: remaining in the paint to test Antetokounmpo's 3-pt and perimeter shooting. If the Greek Freak drives towards the rim, Embiid was right there between him and the basket while others from Philadelphia sealed all paths for passing to his teammates.

Such tactics worked partially as they helped the 76ers lead in the second, third and half of the fourth quarter. However, as well-prepared as they were, Philadelphia still could not stop Antetokounmpo from scoring and keeping the score difference at a reachable number.

In offense, Philadelphia chose not to make Embiid challenge Brook Lopez directly in the low block since Lopez has both the size and strong lower body to get physical with Embiid. Instead, Embiid often posted up in the high block to set screen for or pass the ball to his teammates for back-door play. He could also attack the basket via penetrating towards the rim, using his speed to get rid of Lopez.

Such tactics should have helped the 76ers expand their lead to double-digit and even turned the game into a foregone conclusion, if it weren't for Antetokounmpo. While carrying the team's offense on his shoulder, the Greek Freak did not forget about his job of mopping up in defense. Thanks to his long limbs, speed and explosiveness, Antetokounmpo wrecked multiple attacks from the 76ers, including two blocks on Embiid.

However, working as Milwaukee's engine in both offense and defense was very exhausting, even for the Greek Freak. Fortunately, Hill stood out for the team at last. He scored seven straight points in less than one minute to help the Bucks establish the lead before Milwaukee claimed this key victory.

Thursday's win carved Milwaukee's name on the leading-goat throne of the league. The last time they did this was 45 years ago. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to win 59 games in the 1973-74 season. By the way, the "skyhook" was the MVP that season.

Antetokounmpo's performance in the game was proof that he deserved the 2018-19 NBA MVP more than James Harden. It's true that he was still struggling with his shooting beyond the free throw line. However, Antetokounmpo's play style of attacking the rim relieved him from betting on excessive three-pointers and has a way better chance of earning free throws in front of tough defense. This will help in the playoffs when referees refuse to call fouls simply because you jump your defender. More importantly, Antetokounmpo made much many contributions to defense while Harden, even nicely put, is a dead weight for his team in this area.

Other games on Thursday included: (away teams come first)

Cleveland Cavaliers 104-117 Sacramento Kings

Golden State Warriors 108-90 Los Angeles Lakers