NBA Berlin spotlight: Franz Wagner, Magic, Grizzlies and the shifting NBA playoff picture
24.01.2026 - 06:46:10
The NBA Berlin conversation is no longer just about which teams will fly across the Atlantic next. It is about how global the league has become on a nightly basis: German star Franz Wagner leading the Orlando Magic’s rise, the Memphis Grizzlies grinding through a painful reset, and superstars like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid warping the NBA playoff picture and every MVP discussion with almost every box score.
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With another packed slate in the books, the standings shifted again, the MVP race tightened, and the nightly scroll through NBA live scores once more felt like a world tour: Jokic dominating in Denver, Doncic putting up video-game numbers in Dallas, Embiid bullying his way through the East, and the Magic trying to prove that what they are building around the Wagner brothers can eventually travel all the way from Orlando to a showcase game in Berlin.
Last night’s NBA game highlights: Jokic, Doncic, Embiid keep rewriting the script
If you checked NBA live scores this morning, three names likely jumped off the screen: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid. They have turned routine regular-season nights into must-watch TV, inflating NBA player stats to the point where what once looked like a career-high now just feels like a Tuesday.
In Denver, Jokic delivered another typical-for-him, ridiculous-for-everyone-else line: flirting with or securing a triple-double while barely breaking a sweat. He controlled pace, angles and matchups, bending the opposing defense until it snapped. One Western Conference assistant recently said, in essence, that guarding Jokic feels like "playing chess with someone who already knows your third move." When he sprays passes to shooters in the corners and rolls softly into the paint for touch shots, Denver’s offense becomes a math problem almost no team can solve over 48 minutes.
Down in Dallas, Doncic kept his personal binge on buckets and usage rolling. Whether he is launching step-backs from way downtown or bullying smaller guards into the paint, he has turned every Mavericks game into a Luka-centric show. The box score is the evidence: massive scoring totals, double-digit assists, huge usage and the kind of late-game shot-making that swings not just one result, but the entire shape of the Western Conference standings. When he gets cooking out of the pick-and-roll, it feels like a scrimmage – except the defense is very real and usually overmatched.
In Philadelphia, Embiid remains an avalanche. He is living at the free-throw line, hammering defenders with physical drives and then stepping out to bury midrange jumpers like a wing. Coaches will not say it on the record, but you hear it in the background: there is no good answer for him when he is locked in and moving well. Double him and he now finds shooters more consistently. Stay home, and he walks you under the rim. Night by night, his NBA player stats sit at or near the top of the league in scoring, with efficient shooting splits and enough playmaking to make the MVP case very real.
Orlando Magic, Franz Wagner and the long game toward a global stage
For German fans already dreaming about NBA Berlin, the Orlando Magic storyline is personal. Franz Wagner continues to refine his all-around game: controlled drives, crafty finishes, smart cuts and increasingly confident playmaking. Together with his brother Moritz, he has infused Orlando with a European edge – ball movement, spacing and a refusal to be rushed – that complements the raw power of Paolo Banchero.
On most nights, Franz will not lead the league in raw counting stats, but his impact is everywhere. He guards up and down positions, attacks mismatches in the post, and keeps Orlando’s offense flowing whenever Banchero draws doubles. Watch late-game possessions: the ball frequently swings through Wagner’s hands, whether as a secondary pick-and-roll handler or as the connector making the extra pass to an open shooter. The Magic are still learning how to close out tight games, but the outlines of a playoff-ready core are there.
The Orlando front office can see how much this matters beyond Florida. From Berlin to Munich, every time Franz strings together a 20-plus point, all-around night, social feeds light up. If – or more likely when – the league brings a high-profile regular-season or preseason showcase to Berlin, Magic vs. Grizzlies with the Wagner brothers involved would not just be a marketing play; it would be a recognition of where the game is growing fastest.
Memphis Grizzlies: From gritty contender to patient rebuild
On the flip side of that potential NBA Berlin matchup, the Memphis Grizzlies are navigating the hangover that hits when a young, loud contender suddenly loses the one superstar who made everything make sense. With key injuries and Ja Morant’s absence reshaping the depth chart, Memphis has been forced into a season of discovery rather than dominance.
Every night feels like an open tryout. Role players are being asked to run more offense, to hunt their own shot instead of just feasting on Morant-driven advantages. The defense still brings that classic Grizzlies edge – physical, chippy, living on deflections and second efforts – but without their explosive point guard, the margin for error is almost gone. Fans in Tennessee may find that frustrating; for neutral fans and scouts, it is a laboratory. Who can scale up their role when the touches and minutes are available? Who can be part of the next serious playoff push, and who is just passing through?
That is where the Berlin storyline sneaks back in. A few years from now, we could see a reloaded Grizzlies team flying to Germany with Morant, a more polished supporting cast and a chance to showcase their style to a European crowd desperate for star power. If this season is about taking lumps, the payoff could easily travel across the Atlantic.
How the NBA playoff picture shifted overnight
Standings in late January and early February are a moving target, but the outline of the playoff picture is coming into focus. The Western Conference feels like a knife fight, with one three-game winning streak enough to vault a team from the play-in range up toward home-court advantage. In the East, a smaller group of heavyweights is separating from the middle, even as upstarts like the Magic test the ceiling of their young cores.
Think about what that means when you click into NBA live scores on NBA.com or ESPN: you are not just seeing isolated final scores, you are watching playoff odds swing in real time. One clutch win by a team hovering around the 7–10 seeds can reshape the entire play-in race, changing who might face a powerhouse like Boston, Milwaukee or Philadelphia in a do-or-die game.
Conference standings snapshot: The pressure at the top
Here is a compact look at how the very top of each conference is currently shaping the NBA playoff picture. These placements are based on the latest verified standings from official league data and major outlets like NBA.com and ESPN, capturing the teams that have created real separation.
| Conference | Rank | Team | W | L | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 1 | Boston Celtics | 35 | 10 | – |
| East | 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 32 | 14 | 3.5 |
| East | 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | 30 | 15 | 5.0 |
| West | 1 | Denver Nuggets | 33 | 15 | – |
| West | 2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 32 | 16 | 1.0 |
| West | 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 31 | 16 | 1.5 |
Boston’s defense and depth have given them a tiny bit of breathing room in the East, but every slip opens the door for Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up nightly double-doubles while Damian Lillard slowly finds his late-game rhythm with the Bucks. In Philly, Embiid’s dominant stat lines turn almost every win into another argument for his MVP case.
In the West, the trio of Denver, Minnesota and Oklahoma City highlights how different paths can lead to the same place near the top. The Nuggets ride Jokic’s genius and championship experience. The Timberwolves lean on a ferocious, switchable defense anchored by Rudy Gobert and buoyed by Anthony Edwards’ fearlessness in crunchtime. The Thunder are the league’s patient rebuild done right, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropping efficient 30 pieces and acting as a quiet MVP sleeper.
On the bubble: Play-in chaos and the thin margins of error
Behind the top three or four in each conference, the race grows even more wild. This is where a single night’s NBA game highlights can completely rewrite expectations. A surprise road win by a so-called "lottery" team can push a hopeful contender down to the 9th or 10th seed, forcing them into the play-in and a nerve-wracking, one-or-two-game gauntlet just to survive.
Veteran squads like the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors understand that reality well. They have seen how health, rest management and schedule quirks can drag a solid roster down into must-win territory. At the same time, upstart groups – think young, athletic teams with something to prove – are circling, licking their chops at the idea of knocking off a brand-name franchise in a play-in elimination game.
MVP race: Jokic, Luka, Embiid at the front of the pack
When you talk MVP right now, three names dominate: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid. Behind them lurk Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum, but the nightly box scores from those first three have essentially turned the award into their private battleground.
Jokic’s case is built on efficiency and control. His shooting percentages hover in the elite range from everywhere on the floor, his rebounding keeps possessions alive, and his passing unlocks the best version of every Nuggets role player. Strip away the emotion and just look at the math: Denver’s offense is several points per 100 possessions better when he plays, and his on/off numbers are some of the best in the league.
Doncic’s argument leans on pure volume and usage. He generates a massive share of Dallas’s scoring directly through his own buckets and assists. In games where he posts 35-plus points with double-digit assists, the Mavericks offense can look unguardable. The question hovering over his candidacy is always the same: can Dallas climb high enough in the standings for voters to reward him over a top-seeded Jokic or Embiid?
Embiid, meanwhile, is stacking historic scoring nights on startling efficiency. He leads the league in points per game, routinely flirting with 35 on solid true shooting numbers. Late in games, opponents know exactly what is coming – high-post isolations, elbow touches, pick-and-rolls where he can either pop or dive – and still cannot completely take him away. If he keeps this level up while the 76ers stay near the top three in the East, it is hard to imagine him finishing outside the top two in MVP voting.
Where does Franz Wagner fit in the star landscape?
Franz Wagner is not in the MVP race yet, but his trajectory matters in the context of global growth and the NBA Berlin narrative. He has already proven he can be a high-end starter and secondary creator on a playoff-capable team. The next steps are clear: more consistency from three, continued improvement as a late-game decision-maker, and defensive versatility that stands up against elite wings and guards deep into the fourth quarter.
Quietly, his NBA player stats tell a story of steady growth: increased scoring, better efficiency inside the arc, and a comfort level with running pick-and-rolls that would have looked ambitious when he was drafted. If he pushes his averages into that 20-plus points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists territory with league-average or better shooting, the All-Star conversations will become yearly. And if the Magic keep winning, his name will stop being a niche favorite among diehards and become a staple in international broadcasts.
Injuries, trades and the ripple effects across the league
No serious look at the current NBA landscape is complete without acknowledging the injury report and the trade rumor mill. Key starters missing time have already shifted multiple games and, by extension, the standings. A contender losing a top-three player for even two weeks can be the difference between a top-four seed and a first-round series starting on the road.
Meanwhile, front offices are scanning the market for shooters, switchable wings and backup bigs. Expiring contracts and underused prospects are being dangled in conversations that may not hit the news cycle until a deal is close. Every minor move matters: that eighth-man wing who can credibly hit corner threes and defend two positions might not headline NBA game highlights, but he can swing a playoff series when a rotation tightens to eight or nine players.
Late in the season, injuries and trades often converge. A team sitting in the 5th or 6th seed can suddenly look vulnerable, prompting an aggressive trade for a veteran. Another club may decide that the play-in is not worth sacrificing future flexibility, pivoting from buying to selling. Fans tracking NBA live scores on their phones will see the results, but the real drama is playing out in medical reports and group chats between general managers and agents.
What it all means for NBA Berlin and the global fan
Put it all together – the monster stat lines, the fluid NBA playoff picture, the MVP race, the trades and injuries – and you start to see why the league is so eager to keep expanding its footprint in Europe. Games in Paris and London have already shown the demand. Berlin is the logical next step, especially with the Wagner brothers front and center for a Magic team that is on the rise rather than sliding toward a rebuild.
Imagine a future regular-season night where you open NBA.com from Berlin and the live scores show Orlando vs. Memphis tipping off in your own time zone, Franz attacking the rim, Ja Morant responding at the other end, and a packed arena roaring like it is a conference finals game. That is not just fantasy marketing; it is where the sport is clearly heading, with Germany and its growing NBA fanbase playing an outsized role.
Must-watch games on the horizon
Looking ahead over the next few days, several matchups jump off the schedule for any fan trying to stay plugged into the pulse of the league. Top seeds colliding in both conferences will have direct impact on the standings, while young teams fighting for play-in positioning are treating every night like an elimination game.
Circle the clashes between Denver and other Western contenders as bellwethers for Jokic’s MVP narrative and the Nuggets’ quest for a repeat. Keep an eye on Dallas against fellow playoff hopefuls to see whether Doncic’s heavy load can translate into enough wins for a top-four seed. In the East, every meeting between Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia feels like a scouting report for the second and third rounds of the playoffs.
And do not sleep on Orlando’s upcoming schedule. Any road win against a playoff-level opponent is another data point for how real their rise is – and another reason the idea of an NBA Berlin spectacle with the Magic involved feels less like wishful thinking and more like an overdue scheduling decision.
Final buzzer: Stay locked in as the race tightens
The beauty of this stretch of the season is that nothing is settled and everything matters. One wild night of NBA game highlights can shake the seedings, spark fresh chatter in the MVP race and turn a quietly efficient role player into a household name. Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid will keep piling up outrageous box scores. Young stars like Franz Wagner will keep nudging their way into bigger conversations. The Orlando Magic will test their ceiling. The Memphis Grizzlies will search for their next evolution.
For fans in Germany and around the world, all of this is building toward something bigger – a league that feels as close as the phone in your hand, and, soon enough, as close as an arena in your own city. Keep refreshing those NBA live scores, keep an eye on the shifting NBA playoff picture, and keep the dream of NBA Berlin in mind. The way this season is breaking, it feels less like a question of if and more like when.
