NBA Berlin buzz: Wagner brothers, Magic vs. Grizzlies showdown and shifting playoff picture
07.02.2026 - 10:41:13
The NBA Berlin spotlight is getting brighter by the day, and the league could not have scripted a better lead-in: a European fan base fired up for Franz and Moritz Wagner while Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic just put another jolt into the NBA playoff picture with statement performances across the league.
[Check live stats & scores here]
From Boston and Denver to Dallas and beyond, Thursday night’s box scores reshaped the standings and added fresh fuel to the MVP race. And in the middle of it all, the Orlando Magic’s rise behind Franz Wagner’s two-way game continues to build anticipation for their upcoming showcase feel of Magic vs. Grizzlies in Berlin, a matchup that feels tailor-made for a German crowd that has adopted the Wagners as homegrown stars.
Tatum torches Brooklyn, Boston tightens its grip on the East
Start with the team that has looked like a wire-to-wire juggernaut. The Boston Celtics walked into Barclays Center and handled business against the Brooklyn Nets, 125-112, a game that was closer in feel than the final margin but still underlined why Boston sits atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Jayson Tatum was the steady engine again, pouring in 31 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists, flirting with a triple-double while controlling every high-leverage possession in crunchtime. He hit four threes from downtown, repeatedly punishing soft switches and late close-outs. Jaylen Brown added 24 points and kept the pressure on the rim, while Derrick White’s all-around impact (15 points, 7 assists, elite defense at the point of attack) once again showed why Boston’s starting five might be the most balanced unit in the league.
For Brooklyn, Mikal Bridges’ 23 points and Cam Thomas off the bench kept them within striking distance, but the Nets simply did not have the horses to match Boston’s second-half surge. The loss nudges Brooklyn deeper into the race for the final play-in spots, underscoring how thin the margin is between a sneaky playoff appearance and an early summer.
“They are just relentless,” a Nets assistant coach said postgame, paraphrased. “Every mistake turns into a three or a drive, and Tatum sees everything. That is championship-level offense.” The numbers back it up: Boston stayed near the top of the league in offensive rating and continues to lead the East by a comfortable gap in the latest NBA standings.
Jokic and the Nuggets grind out a road win, West race stays brutal
Out West, the defending champion Denver Nuggets went on the road and survived a rugged, playoff-style grind against the Utah Jazz, winning 109-101 in Salt Lake City. It was not a fireworks show, but in February and March, these are the games that separate real contenders from paper tigers.
Nikola Jokic posted another casual masterpiece: 28 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, one dime shy of yet another triple-double. He dictated pace, as usual, catching at the elbow, picking apart double-teams, and spraying passes to cutters and weak-side shooters. Jamal Murray chipped in 22 points, hitting a pair of cold-blooded pull-up jumpers in the final three minutes that silenced the Jazz crowd.
Denver’s defense late was the hidden story. Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope smothered Utah’s guards in crunchtime, forcing them into tough contested looks. The result: Utah went nearly three minutes without a field goal when it mattered most, a killer drought against the champs.
The win keeps Denver stacked near the top of the Western Conference, locked in a tight cluster with Minnesota and Oklahoma City. On a night when one slip can drop you from the 2-seed to the 5-seed, holding serve on the road is huge.
Doncic lights up the scoreboard again as Dallas claws in the West
In Dallas, Luka Doncic delivered yet another box-score line that looks like a video game on rookie mode. The Mavericks outgunned the Indiana Pacers 132-123 in a track meet that felt more like an All-Star scrimmage than a midweek regular season game.
Doncic finished with 39 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds, shooting efficiently and living at the free throw line. Every time Indiana threatened a run, he cooled it down with either a deep step-back three from way downtown or a pinpoint lob in pick-and-roll action.
Kyrie Irving complemented him with 27 points and some dazzling shot-making of his own, giving Dallas one of the deadliest offensive backcourts in basketball. The defense is still very much a work in progress, but when your two stars combine for that level of shot creation, you can win a lot of shootouts.
On the Pacers side, Tyrese Haliburton recorded 24 points and 10 assists, another double-double in a season full of elite playmaking. But the Mavs’ late-game execution, especially Doncic orchestrating mismatches, ultimately swung the game and provided another bullet point for his MVP case.
Wagner brothers keep building the Magic’s momentum toward NBA Berlin
While the spotlight burned brightest on the traditional big-market headliners, the Orlando Magic quietly continued one of the most compelling young-team arcs in the league. Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner have turned Orlando into appointment viewing for German fans, and the idea of an Orlando Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies clash in Berlin brings a different kind of electricity.
Franz has been the definition of a two-way wing in his third season, hovering around 20 points per game while guarding top options night after night. His slashing game, improved playmaking and willingness to take big shots in crunchtime have helped Orlando stay firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, not just scraping for the play-in.
Moritz anchors bench units with relentless energy: drawing charges, talking on defense, sprinting the floor, and providing a punch of scoring around the rim. The box score never fully tells his story, but coaches rave about the way he changes the temperature of a game the second he checks in.
For European fans and especially the Berlin crowd, Magic vs. Grizzlies in Germany is the perfect narrative collision: the Wagner brothers on essentially home soil, going up against the explosive star power and swagger of Ja Morant’s Memphis (once fully healthy) and a franchise that has made noise in the West these last few seasons. It is the kind of matchup that turns an international showcase into a genuine competitive event, not just a marketing stop.
Current playoff picture: who is in control and who is on the bubble?
The latest NBA standings, updated after Thursday night’s slate, show a league with clear top tiers but brutal traffic jams in the middle. Here is a compact look at some key spots in each conference, focusing on the top seeds and the play-in race.
| East Rank | Team | Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | League-best record | Extending lead after win vs Nets |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Top tier | Stabilizing under new coaching |
| 3 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Upper seed | Hot since new year |
| 6-8 | Orlando, Miami, Indiana | Clustered | Fighting to avoid play-in |
| 9-10 | Brooklyn Nets & others | Below .500 | On the bubble for play-in |
Boston’s combination of depth, defense and shooting keeps them in control. Milwaukee and Cleveland sit in the next band, while Orlando, Miami and Indiana hover in that tense zone where one three-game skid can drop you from a solid seed into single-elimination territory.
| West Rank | Team | Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Denver | Neck-and-neck | Trading wins for top spot |
| 4-6 | LA Clippers, Phoenix, New Orleans | Solid playoff tier | Dangerous if healthy |
| 7-10 | Dallas, Sacramento, Lakers, others | Tight pack | Play-in pressure every night |
| 11+ | Memphis Grizzlies | Sub-.500 | Injury-ravaged, fighting uphill |
Denver’s win kept them right in the mix for the 1-seed, while Dallas’s uptick behind Doncic and Irving stabilizes them in that dangerous 6-10 window. One more hot week and they could vault into a locked-in playoff spot; one cold week and the play-in gets very real.
MVP Race: Tatum, Jokic, Doncic and the tightening field
The MVP race after this slate feels like a three-man heavyweight bout, with a couple of dark horses still hanging around. Each of Thursday’s stars added something meaningful to his case.
Nikola Jokic continues to stuff the NBA player stats columns like no one else. Nearing a triple-double on absurd efficiency has become routine, and voter fatigue is the only real argument against him. His on/off impact remains staggering; the Nuggets look like a different team when he sits.
Jayson Tatum leans heavily on winning. He may not lead the league in any single box-score category, but his combination of 27+ points, strong rebounding, improved playmaking and top-tier team success is the classic MVP cocktail. Boston owning the league’s best record is a loud data point in his favor.
Luka Doncic is pure box-score madness. Nights like 39-11-8 against Indiana are almost standard now, and his usage, shot creation and late-game heroics are as valuable as anything in basketball. The challenge for his case remains clear: can Dallas climb high enough in the West standings to erase the “team record” argument?
Hovering just off this tier are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both putting up MVP-level seasons. Giannis anchors Milwaukee at both ends, while SGA has turned Oklahoma City into a legitimate 1-seed threat. Any stumble from the big three, and these two are ready to surge.
Injuries, absences and what they mean for the stretch run
The cold reality behind the glamour of NBA Berlin excitement and marquee matchups is that health is driving as much of the playoff picture as any tactical adjustment.
Memphis remains the most glaring example. With Ja Morant out for the season and a host of rotation players in and out of the lineup, the Grizzlies’ year has been defined by survival mode. They still flash the identity that made them a Western Conference problem over the last two seasons: aggressive defense, fearless young guards, a coaching staff that emphasizes pace. But the injuries have simply stacked too high to overcome in the standings.
For Orlando, health has been more manageable. Their young core, headlined by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, has largely stayed available, which is a big reason why the Magic are positioned to break their playoff drought. Any serious injury at this point would not just hurt regular-season seeding; it would undercut the momentum and narrative that make a potential Magic vs. Grizzlies showcase in Berlin so intriguing for international fans.
Around the league, contenders are already game-planning minutes, rest days and rotations with an eye toward April and May. Coaches are increasingly candid about it: “We are not chasing home court if it risks health,” one Western Conference coach said recently, paraphrased. “The only thing that matters is being whole when the ball tips for Game 1.”
Tonight’s box scores that moved the needle
Several individual stat lines from the last 24 hours deserve a closer look for how they fit into the broader context of standings and storytelling:
• Tatum’s 31-9-6 in Brooklyn: another all-around performance that reinforces his two-way superstar credentials.
• Jokic’s 28-14-9 in Utah: almost casual domination, emblematic of how he controls games without needing 40-point explosions every night.
• Doncic’s 39-11-8 vs. Indiana: a reminder that he can put up an almost automatic double- or triple-double whenever he wants, especially against defenses that struggle in transition and in ball-screen coverage.
These are the types of nights that fuel debate shows and group chats the next morning, that send fans racing to NBA.com and stat sites to dive into advanced metrics and matchups. The NBA live scores ticker is not just a list of numbers; it is a running drama, and this latest round of games added real weight to the long season arc.
What comes next: must-watch games and Berlin implications
Looking forward, the schedule is loaded with matchups that will shake up the playoff picture and the MVP conversation yet again.
Boston’s upcoming tilts against top Eastern rivals will test just how far they can stretch their lead. Denver faces a gauntlet of Western contenders that will challenge Jokic’s ability to keep the Nuggets near the 1-seed while managing energy for the playoffs.
Dallas, meanwhile, is staring at a crucial stretch where even one or two sloppy losses could be the difference between avoiding the play-in and staring down a single-elimination game against a hungry lower seed. Every Doncic performance from here on out doubles as both MVP data point and seeding referendum.
For Orlando and Memphis, the next weeks are about identity as much as record. The Magic want to prove that their surge is sustainable, that Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero can anchor a top-6 seed and bring that momentum into any international stage, including a potential NBA Berlin thriller. The Grizzlies, even if this season’s injuries keep them away from the top of the standings, still see value in reestablishing their grit-and-grind-with-swagger brand before they return to full health.
Fans in Germany and across Europe are already circling that Magic vs. Grizzlies storyline, imagining Berlin turning into an NBA cauldron with Wagner jerseys flooding the arena and Memphis trying to steal the show. It is more than just a game; it is a marker of how global the league has become, where a Thursday night box score in Dallas or Denver can shape the narrative for a showcase thousands of kilometers away.
With every passing night, the mix of live results, shifting standings and monster individual stat lines makes it harder to look away. Keep one tab locked on NBA Berlin developments, another on NBA live scores and NBA player stats, and be ready: the stretch run is here, and nothing in this playoff picture is settled yet.
