The Milwaukee Bucks Jrue Holiday brings the ball up court in the first half against the Hawks on Nov. 14 in Atlanta. (AP file photo)

The defending champions are beginning to look the part again.

It wasn’t long ago that the Milwaukee Bucks were languishing under .500, but after a seven-game winning streak, they’ve moved back toward the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Milwaukee’s run has been overshadowed a bit by Phoenix’s 16-game winning streak and Golden State’s 18-2 start to the season. Now, the Bucks — and their conference finals opponents, the Atlanta Hawks — are showing signs that they’ve shaken off their early struggles.

“At the start of this season, going through some trying times, I think we were all just happy it was at the beginning of the season,” guard Jrue Holiday said. “We know how this league goes, how the games go. It’s always ebbs and flows. We know that we can make a run at any time.”

The Bucks haven’t lost a game when Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton have all played. Holiday missed about two weeks early in the season with a sprained ankle, and when he returned, Milwaukee blew a 21-point lead in a Nov. 5 loss to the Knicks.

When Milwaukee faced Atlanta in a conference finals rematch Nov. 14, the Hawks were on a six-game losing streak and the Bucks entered the game at 6-7. Atlanta won by 20, the start of a seven-game win streak that pushed the Hawks back above .500. That run ended Saturday, but Milwaukee hasn’t lost since that blowout against Atlanta.

The Bucks’ streak began when Middleton returned from an eight-game COVID-related absence Nov. 17. Antetokounmpo scored 47 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

While the Warriors and Suns have opened up some distance in the West, the Bucks (13-8) are one of four teams within 1 1/2 games of East-leading Brooklyn (14-6). There have been some surprises at the top of the conference. Chicago (14-8) and Washington (13-8) have had early success after significant offseason changes, and Charlotte (13-10) isn’t far behind.