NBA Berlin buzz: Wagner brothers shine as Magic edge Grizzlies in thriller, Jokic and Tatum fuel MVP race
24.01.2026 - 22:21:30
Berlin got a front?row seat to exactly what makes the NBA so addictive right now: young stars taking over, MVP candidates putting up absurd numbers, and a playoff race that already feels like April. The NBA Berlin spotlight was firmly on Franz and Moritz Wagner as the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies brought a regular?season atmosphere to a global stage, while across the league Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic kept twisting the MVP race and playoff picture into something that changes night by night.
[Check live stats & scores here]
The Wagner brothers did what Berlin fans hoped they would: attack downhill, hit shots from downtown and bring that signature Orlando edge on defense. The matchup with Memphis carried a little extra juice, with the Grizzlies trying to rediscover their grit?and?grind identity and the Magic pushing to prove that last year’s playoff run was no fluke. Every Franz drive, every Moritz put?back felt like it landed twice, once on the scoreboard and once in the stands packed with German hoops fans who have watched these two grow up in real time.
Magic vs. Grizzlies: Wagner brothers own the Berlin stage
From the opening tip it had a playoff?style intensity. Orlando leaned into its size and length, switching across positions and funneling ball?handlers into the teeth of its defense. Franz Wagner played like a classic two?way wing in complete control, slicing into the lane, finishing through contact and spraying the ball to shooters. Moritz brought instant energy off the bench, setting bruising screens, talking constantly on defense and crashing the glass for second?chance points.
On the Memphis side, the Grizzlies rode their backcourt to stay in it. Their guards kept hammering the paint, forcing Orlando’s bigs into tough decisions in pick?and?roll. Whenever the Magic seemed ready to pull away, Memphis responded with a flurry of threes and a couple of tough and?ones that silenced the pro?Orlando pockets in the crowd.
The fourth quarter turned into pure crunchtime theater. Franz Wagner kept demanding the ball at the elbow and at the top of the arc, running two?man actions that bent the Grizzlies defense. Moritz, never shy, drilled a pick?and?pop three that had the arena buzzing like a EuroLeague Final Four. Berlin did not get a buzzer beater, but it did get a possession?by?possession grind where every defensive stop felt like a swing moment.
Orlando’s defense ultimately made the difference. Late in the game, the Magic strung together multiple stops, turned live?ball turnovers into fast?break layups and forced Memphis into rushed pull?ups. It was a snapshot of why this young Magic team has been climbing the standings: long wings, versatile defenders, and just enough offensive creation from their core of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to win tight games.
Afterward, Magic players talked about how it felt like a home game in Germany. The Wagners, especially, soaked in the ovations. It was more than a showcase; it was a statement that the NBA Berlin experience can feel every bit as intense as a night in Boston, Denver or Dallas.
Last night around the league: upsets, statements and wild box scores
While Berlin was locked in on Orlando versus Memphis, the rest of the NBA schedule kept reshaping the playoff picture and the nightly conversation. Around the league, a couple of contenders flexed, a few supposed heavyweights stumbled, and a handful of young stars put up the kind of box scores that make you double?check the live scores app.
One theme: road dogs were not intimidated. Several teams walked into hostile buildings and walked out with statement wins, tightening races both at the top of the standings and in the jam?packed middle where every game can swing a seed or two. There were momentum?swinging runs, coaches using challenge calls in key moments, and multiple games that were one?possession affairs in the final minute.
Coaches were blunt in their postgame assessments. One veteran coach summed up the night saying his team "got punched in the mouth early and never matched the physicality". Another, after a road win, emphasized execution: "We did not chase hero shots. We trusted the pass and got the kind of looks we want when it gets tight." Those themes show up in the advanced metrics, too: teams getting into their sets earlier in the clock, keeping turnover rates down, and generating efficient corner threes instead of late?clock heaves.
Standings snapshot: contenders separating, play?in chaos building
The current standings tell the story as loud as any highlight montage. At the very top of the league, a handful of franchises have established themselves as true title threats, while a crowded second tier lives one three?game streak away from jumping or dropping multiple spots. For fans tracking the NBA playoff picture, every back?to?back and every injury update matters.
Here is a compact look at how the top of each conference is shaping up right now, based on the latest official standings.
| East Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | Best-in-East pace |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Top-tier contender |
| 3 | New York Knicks | Climbing with defense |
| 4 | Philadelphia 76ers | Health-dependent |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Young core surging |
Orlando’s presence in that top?five mix is the headline for fans following the Wagner brothers from Germany. This is no longer a rebuilding project; it is a playoff team with legitimate top?four aspirations. The Magic’s defensive rating has hovered among the league’s best, and their home?court advantage has been real. Nights like the one they delivered in Berlin show exactly why their stock keeps rising.
| West Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | Elite, led by Jokic |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Young, explosive |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Defense-heavy |
| 4 | Dallas Mavericks | Luka-powered |
| 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | Veteran star core |
In the West, Denver remains the standard. The Nuggets rarely panic, move the ball with surgical precision, and close games with a calm that comes from winning a ring. Right behind them, the Thunder and Wolves have forced their way into the conversation with top?tier defenses and a habit of making third quarters their personal runway. Dallas and the Clippers sit in that dangerous range where a hot month could vault them into home?court advantage or a cold stretch could drag them toward the play?in tournament.
Speaking of the play?in, the 7–10 spots in both conferences are absolute chaos. Multiple teams hover within a game or two of each other. One overtime loss here or a random road win there can flip tiebreakers and potential matchups entirely. For front offices, that makes the next few weeks critical as they evaluate whether to push chips in at the trade deadline or quietly pivot toward next year.
MVP race: Jokic, Tatum, Doncic drive the conversation
The MVP talk has gone from slow simmer to full boil. It is not just about counting stats; it is about impact possessions, on?off numbers, and how much pressure a player takes off everyone else on the floor. Still, the raw numbers remain wild.
Nikola Jokic has once again turned the nightly box score into performance art. He is stacking near?triple?double lines with absurd efficiency, bombing threes when defenders sag, threading no?look dimes from the elbow and punishing smaller defenders on the block. His player efficiency rating sits right at the top of the league hierarchy, and his usage somehow does not tank Denver’s ball movement. When he sits, the Nuggets’ offense looks human. When he plays, it looks like a cheat code.
Jayson Tatum has anchored Boston’s surge. The Celtics’ record speaks loudly for his candidacy, but the tape is even better. He has been relentless attacking mismatches, finding a sustainable balance between tough pull?ups and rim pressure. On defense he keeps taking the top wing assignment, switching across positions and cleaning the glass in small?ball lineups. The MVP race is often about narrative, and Tatum’s blend of wins, two?way responsibility and late?game shot?making checks those boxes.
Luka Doncic, meanwhile, keeps dropping jaw?dropping numbers for Dallas. He is a walking 30?plus night, warping defenses with high?usage pick?and?rolls, step?back threes from way downtown and post?ups against smaller guards. Some of his recent explosions have come in crunchtime comebacks, where he strings together three or four straight scoring or assist possessions that flip the game in a two?minute span. The question for his MVP résumé will be whether Dallas can stay high enough in the standings to match his individual brilliance.
Under the radar, guys like Shai Gilgeous?Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo are refusing to fade from the discussion. Shai lives in the mid?range, killing drop coverages and closing games with icy pull?ups. Giannis is still a one?man fast break and a defensive anchor who can erase an entire side of the floor. The MVP ladder is as stacked as it has been in years, and every marquee matchup between these teams feels like it carries ballot implications.
Top performers and box?score fireworks
Every night delivers a new wave of NBA player stats that light up social feeds. In the last 24 to 48 hours, we have seen monster scoring bursts from star wings, crafty double?double nights from veteran bigs and a couple of near triple?doubles from versatile guards. Coaches keep emphasizing pace and space, and the numbers back that up as offensive ratings hover at or near all?time highs.
There have been a few near?historic lines as well. One star guard flirted with a 40?point triple?double, racking up big assist and rebound numbers while carrying his team through a third?quarter lull. A young big man punched in a career?high in points on sizzling field?goal percentage, bullying smaller defenders and stretching the floor just enough to keep them honest. Even some role players have popped for surprise 20?point nights, reminding everyone that confident shooting and good cutting can turn anyone into a crunchtime threat on the right night.
On the flip side, a few big names have gone cold. Tight whistles, physical defenses and smarter game plans are forcing certain scorers into tough, contested pull?ups instead of the free?flowing drives they usually feast on. That shows in their true shooting percentages and in the eye test: more frustration gestures, longer conversations with referees, and coaches calling timeouts to settle them down.
From a scouting perspective, the most encouraging thing for coaches is seeing young players stack good decisions. Less hero ball, more hockey assists, better recognition of when to attack and when to reset. The box score will show the points, rebounds and assists, but the film shows improved timing, better weak?side defense and smarter off?ball movement.
Injuries, trades and what they mean for the playoff race
No NBA season goes untouched by the injury bug, and this stretch has been no different. Several contenders are currently juggling lineups because of nagging issues to key rotation pieces. Front offices are praying for clean MRIs and short timelines, because the wrong two?week absence can cost two or three spots in the playoff seeding race.
When a star sits, the ripple effect is brutal. Secondary scorers have to take on primary shot?creation duties, defenders change assignments, and bench players get bumped into heavier minutes against starting?caliber talent. That can drag down efficiency and expose weaknesses that top?end talent was hiding. On the flip side, it also creates chances: a young guard might suddenly get 30 minutes a night and prove he belongs, or a backup big might show he can anchor bench units on his own.
Trade chatter is picking up in the background. Fringe playoff teams are being linked to 3?and?D wings, switchable forwards and backup point guards who can steady second units. The arms race at the top is just as real. A contender might be one stretch big or one versatile defender away from solving a matchup that has haunted them in previous postseasons. The market is watching those teams that slide toward the bottom of the standings; veterans on expiring contracts will draw interest the minute their franchises signal a shift toward the future.
For a team like Orlando, the calculus is fascinating. Do you cash in some of your young depth and picks to accelerate the timeline around Banchero and the Wagner brothers, or do you ride organic growth and trust that this core will learn the playoff lessons it needs without a splashy trade? Around the league, executives are studying that question for multiple rising teams.
What is next: must?watch games and storylines
The schedule ahead offers exactly what NBA Berlin fans and hardcore League Pass addicts crave: heavyweight clashes, revenge games and young stars on national TV stages. In the coming days, Denver and Boston both face tough back?to?backs that could impact the top of the standings. Dallas and Oklahoma City have a showdown that doubles as an MVP and All?NBA referendum on Luka and Shai. Out East, Orlando will be tested by physical defenses that will load up on Banchero and Wagner, daring the Magic’s role players to beat them from deep.
Berlin’s taste of the Magic and Grizzlies is also part of a bigger global push. The NBA clearly understands that bringing real competitive fire overseas sells the product better than any commercial. Nights like this turn casual fans into diehards, especially when local heroes like Franz and Moritz Wagner are at the center of the story.
For fans, the playbook is simple: track the NBA live scores nightly, keep one eye on the evolving standings and another on the MVP race, and circle every matchup that pits top?five seeds or award candidates against each other. A random Tuesday can suddenly feel like a Sunday matinee in May when two contenders go punch for punch for 48 minutes.
As the season grinds on, expect the intensity we saw in NBA Berlin to become the norm rather than the exception. Teams will tighten rotations, defenses will ramp up the physicality, and every possession will feel a little heavier. Stay tuned, keep refreshing those NBA live scores and advanced NBA player stats, and do not miss the next time the league brings that kind of energy back to Berlin.
