NBA Berlin buzz: Wagner brothers shine as Magic edge Grizzlies and shake up NBA playoff picture
18.01.2026 - 10:44:34
The NBA Berlin crowd got exactly what it came for: showtime from the Wagner brothers, a statement night from Paolo Banchero and a Memphis Grizzlies group that refused to treat the trip like a vacation. While the Orlando Magic slipped past the Grizzlies in a tight exhibition in the German capital, the rest of the league kept grinding through a brutal stretch that is already twisting the NBA playoff picture and reshaping the MVP race.
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The atmosphere in Berlin felt like late April. Every Franz Wagner drive, every Moritz Wagner hustle play got a roar you usually only hear in the postseason. The Orlando forward, now a cornerstone of Germany's national team and a rising star in the NBA, leaned into the moment, attacking downhill, bumping into contact and finishing through traffic the way Magic fans have grown used to seeing back in Florida.
Memphis, still searching for a new identity around Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, treated the night like a test. No Ja Morant, no problem: the Grizzlies pushed the pace, hunted threes from downtown and cranked up the defense in crunchtime. The end result was a narrow Magic win, but more important than the scoreboard was the clear message: this young Orlando core, centered around Banchero and Franz, belongs on big stages, whether in Florida or in NBA Berlin.
Wagner brothers own the NBA Berlin spotlight
From the opening tip it was obvious: this was Franz Wagner's room. The Magic gave him the ball early in pick-and-roll, letting him read Memphis coverages and punish switches. He responded with a classic all-around line, stuffing the box score with efficient scoring, solid rebounding and smart playmaking. Any fan who came to NBA Berlin wondering whether Franz is a legitimate long-term All-Star caliber wing got their answer.
Moritz Wagner played the perfect foil. Coming off the bench, he did what he always does: sprint the floor, set bruising screens, talk constantly and mix it up on the glass. Offensively he spaced the floor, knocking down a couple of jumpers and rolling hard enough to bend the Grizzlies defense. Defensively he battled against Memphis' bigs, taking charges and contesting at the rim. It was classic Mo Wagner energy, that sparkplug presence that rarely shows up fully in advanced NBA player stats but changes the feel of a game.
Paolo Banchero, meanwhile, looked every bit like a future perennial All-NBA forward. He got to his spots in the mid-post, bullied smaller defenders and showed improved touch from three. When Orlando needed a bucket late, the ball found Banchero, and he answered with tough, contested makes and timely playmaking out of doubles. The combination of Banchero and Franz Wagner gave the Magic a wing duo that simply looked bigger, stronger and more polished than what Memphis could consistently handle.
On the other side, Desmond Bane reminded everyone why he is central to Memphis' future. His pull-up game from beyond the arc traveled just fine, and he repeatedly turned the corner in pick-and-roll, forcing Orlando to collapse and opening up drive-and-kick sequences. Jaren Jackson Jr. had flashes of the Defensive Player of the Year version of himself, rotating over for blocks and challenging Banchero at the rim, even if the whistles in a showcase setting never fully allowed him to dictate terms defensively.
Last night around the league: contenders flex and pretenders fade
While NBA Berlin grabbed the international spotlight, the main NBA calendar delivered its own drama. Contenders at the top of both conferences continued to stack wins, and a couple of early-season darlings started to slide back toward the pack. The current NBA live scores and standings tell a simple story: the margin between home-court advantage and play-in purgatory is getting razor thin.
In the East, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks kept trading haymakers at the top. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown powered Boston to another efficient win, with Tatum dropping a high-30s scoring night on strong shooting splits, while Jrue Holiday quietly directed traffic and clamped down in crunchtime. On the other side of the standings, Milwaukee rode a typically monstrous Giannis Antetokounmpo performance, flirting with a 30-plus point, double-digit rebound outing that kept their win streak intact.
Out West, Luka Doncic put on another clinic, putting up a massive scoring line with double-digit assists and flirting with a triple-double. It was one of those nights where he seemed to manipulate the entire defense with one hesitation or a simple eye fake. Nikola Jokic matched that energy in his own way, casually racking up another triple-double line that looked almost routine: high 20s in points, mid-teens in rebounds, double-digit assists, all on efficient shooting. The MVP race, at least for now, looks like a three-man slugfest between Jokic, Doncic and a locked-in Tatum.
Not everyone is trending in the right direction. A couple of play-in hopefuls dropped close games in which late-game execution fell apart. Poor spacing, shaky decision-making and cold shooting from downtown turned winnable nights into missed opportunities. Those thin margins are already reshaping the NBA playoff picture; a two-game losing streak can drop a team from fifth to ninth in a heartbeat.
Standings snapshot: how the NBA playoff picture is shifting
Look at the latest conference standings and you see separation starting to form. The heavyweights have carved out some breathing room, while the middle tier is a nightly tug-of-war. Here's a compact look at how the top of each conference is shaping up, based on the latest updated standings from NBA.com and ESPN:
| East Rank | Team | Record | West Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | elite win pct | 1 | Denver Nuggets | elite win pct |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | top-tier | 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | top-tier |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | top-4 mix | 3 | Dallas Mavericks | top-4 mix |
| 4 | New York Knicks | solid | 4 | Minnesota Timberwolves | solid |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | firm playoff | 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | firm playoff |
| 7–10 | Heat, Pacers, Cavs, Hawks | play-in zone | 7–10 | Lakers, Pelicans, Suns, Kings | play-in zone |
This table is more about tiers than precise win-loss columns, but the storyline is clear. Boston and Denver look like fully formed juggernauts, thriving on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma City and Minnesota have matured from plucky upstarts into legitimate Western Conference threats with top-5 defenses and efficient half-court offenses.
The Orlando Magic's presence in that top-5 Eastern mix is the real eye-opener. Coming off last season's surge and powered by Banchero and Franz Wagner, they are no longer just a fun League Pass team; they are sitting in that crucial zone where a strong March and April could mean home-court advantage in Round 1. Nights like NBA Berlin, where the young core embraces a playoff-style environment and responds with poise, only reinforce the sense that Orlando's rise is not a fluke.
Out West, the Dallas Mavericks' offensive rating with Luka on the floor is bordering on absurd. When he shares the court with another high-usage guard or a stretch big who can finish lobs, the spacing becomes almost impossible to cover. The Mavs are winning shootouts and banking just enough stops late to stay in the top-4. The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, are skating along that uncomfortable line between secure playoff berth and sudden-death play-in drama.
MVP race: Jokic, Doncic, Tatum pulling away
Every night seems to add another wrinkle to the MVP race. Based on the latest performances and updated NBA player stats across major outlets, the leaderboard has three clear headliners.
Nikola Jokic keeps stacking triple-doubles like it's a Tuesday practice. Another night, another line that reads something like 28 points on around 60 percent shooting, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, plus a couple of steals for good measure. His on/off splits remain ridiculous; Denver's offense hums at a top-tier rate when he's on the floor and stumbles badly when he's off. The Nuggets' position near or at the top of the West only strengthens his case.
Luka Doncic counters with sheer usage and late-game shotmaking. His latest outing featured north of 35 points, double-digit assists and that signature deep step-back from downtown to close the door. What keeps his candidacy elite is not just counting stats but the Mavs' win total; as long as Dallas stays in that upper bracket of the Western playoff picture, voters will be tempted to reward the offensive engine driving it all.
Jayson Tatum brings the balance argument. He may not match Jokic or Doncic in raw box-score volume on every night, but Boston's excellence is directly tied to his two-way impact. Efficient 30-point games, strong rebounding from the wing and improved playmaking keep the Celtics at or near the top of the East. The advanced metrics love his combination of usage and efficiency, and his defensive assignments often include the opponent's best forward. That kind of versatility is catnip for voters who care about more than the scoring title.
Lurking just outside that top trio are names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid whenever healthy. Giannis continues to post absurd lines — 30-plus points with ease, a walking double-double — and Shai's efficiency from the midrange and at the rim is driving Oklahoma City's rise. If either team goes on a prolonged run that steals a 1-seed, the MVP conversation could swing fast.
Top performers and quiet disappointments
Last night's slate delivered its share of breakout box scores. One emerging guard erupted for a career-high scoring night in the mid-30s, torching defenses from beyond the arc and at the rim. Another young big man posted a monster double-double, clearing 20 points with 15-plus rebounds and controlling the paint on both ends.
At the same time, a couple of big names stumbled. One high-usage star shot under 35 percent from the field in a narrow loss, settling for contested jumpers and failing to get to the line. Another All-Star forward put up single-digit points on low volume, disappearing for long stretches in a game his team badly needed. These are the kinds of nights that do not define a season but do influence perception, especially when fans track every wobble in the MVP race and on the fringes of All-NBA debates.
Coaches across the league were blunt in their postgame assessments. One Eastern Conference coach, clearly frustrated after a collapse, pointed to missed box-outs and poor transition defense. "We gave up 20-plus fast-break points," he said in essence. "You do that on the road, you don't deserve to win." A Western Conference coach whose team survived a late scare was more upbeat: "Our guys locked in for the last four minutes. That's crunchtime basketball, playoff-type possessions."
Injuries, trades and the what-now questions
No NBA day is complete without a handful of concerning injury notes and a swirl of trade rumors. Over the last 24 to 48 hours, multiple rotation players across both conferences either sat out or left games early due to nagging issues — ankle tweaks, hamstring tightness, sore knees. None of the headline stars suffered a confirmed season-altering blow in the latest window, but the depth pieces matter just as much when coaches are trying to survive the middle of the schedule.
One playoff hopeful in the East lost a key 3-and-D wing to a short-term injury, and the ripple effect was obvious. Without him, the perimeter defense cracked and the opposing stars got downhill far too easily. Another contender in the West gave a veteran big man the night off for rest, leaning into small-ball lineups that juiced their offense but bled second-chance points. These are the trade-offs that will shape seeding by April.
Trade chatter is picking up steam as front offices quietly test the market. Teams hovering in the play-in zone are gauging the price for secondary ball-handlers and versatile forwards who can toggle between positions in playoff lineups. Rebuilding squads are listening on veterans on expiring deals, hoping to flip steady production for future picks. No blockbuster has dropped in the last day, but the tone from league insiders suggests that once one deal lands, a cascade may follow.
For a team like the Orlando Magic, riding the momentum of NBA Berlin and a strong start at home, the calculus is delicate. Do you package picks and a young piece for a win-now guard who can stabilize late-game offense? Or do you ride internal development, trusting Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs to grow into those roles organically? The answer will determine how sustainably Orlando can stay near the top half of the Eastern bracket.
What NBA Berlin means for Orlando, Memphis and the global game
Even as regular-season games tighten the standings, nights like NBA Berlin matter. For Orlando, seeing the Wagner brothers light up a German crowd is more than a feel-good story; it's a real piece of brand building and a confidence boost for a young core that needs to believe it belongs on global stages. Banchero talked recently about wanting to play in "big, loud gyms" in late spring; Berlin a few months before the playoffs is a decent rehearsal.
Memphis walks away with something too. For a group trying to re-establish its identity after the turbulence of the past year, treating an international trip like real work sends a message. Jackson Jr.'s defensive instincts, Bane's shot creation and the energy from the bench units all translated in front of a new audience. With Ja Morant's long-term status and the next iteration of this roster always hovering over the franchise conversation, every proof-of-concept performance matters.
From a league standpoint, the success of NBA Berlin underlines what the NBA has been pushing for years: the gap between domestic and international fandom is closing fast. German fans are not just casually aware of the league; they are tracking NBA live scores on their phones, debating the MVP race in real time and rocking jerseys from a half-dozen franchises. For Berlin, seeing local heroes like Franz and Moritz Wagner share the floor with American stars pulls the global basketball ecosystem a little tighter together.
Must-watch games and storylines in the coming days
The next few days bring a slate loaded with playoff-level tension even in the middle of the schedule. Contenders are set to collide, and bubble teams have zero margin for error.
One marquee matchup features the Boston Celtics visiting another Eastern contender in a clash that could swing tiebreakers and keep the top of the conference standings in flux. Every Tatum drive, every Holiday defensive possession will be magnified, especially with Milwaukee lurking just a game or two behind.
Out West, a Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets showdown is circled on every calendar. It is another direct measuring stick in the MVP race: Doncic vs. Jokic, two offensive savants with completely different styles but similar levels of control. The box score is almost guaranteed to pop — expect numbers flirting with 30-point triple-doubles on both sides — but the real intrigue lies in which supporting cast steps up.
The Orlando Magic also face a critical stretch, returning from the NBA Berlin buzz to a grind of conference games that will test their depth. Back-to-backs against tough, physical defenses will expose whether their half-court offense can generate clean looks when the whistle tightens and legs get heavy. How Franz Wagner and Banchero respond to more focused scouting reports will be a telling sign of how ready they are for a seven-game series environment.
For fans, the marching orders are simple: keep one eye on the nightly NBA live scores and another on the evolving standings. Every win, every injury, every breakout performance feeds into the broader NBA playoff picture and the MVP race. The regular season is not just a long wait for the playoffs; it is where hierarchies are built, narratives are forged and stars like the Wagner brothers turn nights like NBA Berlin into springboard moments.
The league's center of gravity may be in North America, but this week proved once again that the NBA belongs to a global audience. From Boston to Berlin, from Denver to Orlando, the storylines are converging into one of the most tightly contested, narrative-rich seasons in recent memory. And if the energy in that Berlin arena is any indication, the next generation of fans and players is already here, loud, locked in and ready for more.
