NBA Standings shake-up: Celtics, Nuggets hold, LeBron’s Lakers chase, Curry keeps Warriors alive
05.02.2026 - 10:59:58
The NBA Standings tightened again overnight as contenders sent loud messages and desperate chasers stayed alive. With the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets still anchoring the top of their conferences, the real chaos sits in the middle: LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors and a pack of hungry teams all jostling for Playoff Picture control and seeding leverage with every possession.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Last night’s scoreboard: contenders flex, bubble teams sweat
The latest slate did not rewrite the very top of the NBA Standings, but it did reframe the pressure points beneath. In the East, Boston again looked like a team pacing itself for June, locking down in the second half and riding Jayson Tatum’s all-around game and Jaylen Brown’s attacking downhill to another businesslike win. It was not a Hollywood thriller, but it was the kind of professional road W that keeps them a step ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks in both record and confidence.
Out West, Denver leaned on Nikola Jokic’s usual brand of dominance. The two-time MVP candidate put up another near triple-double line, stuffing the box score with points, boards and dimes while barely breaking a sweat. What looked like a trap game for the Nuggets briefly turned tense in the third quarter before Jokic slowed the pace, picked apart the defense from the elbows and let Jamal Murray close from the perimeter. Another W, another reminder that Denver’s floor is as high as anyone’s ceiling.
The real drama lived in the middle. LeBron’s Lakers again walked the tightrope. With Anthony Davis battling on the glass and LeBron orchestrating from the top, Los Angeles needed key stops in crunchtime to fend off a hungry opponent fighting to stay in the Play-In mix. The Lakers’ defense was far from perfect, but timely rim protection and just enough shot-making from the role players turned a potential heartbreaker into a season-steadying win.
Steph Curry, meanwhile, did what he always does for Golden State: kept the Warriors’ pulse beating from way downtown. The defense has been inconsistent and the turnovers still maddening, but Curry’s shot-making turned a coin-flip game into a late surge. Every three he drills right now feels like it swings not just momentum but seeding; that is the razor’s edge Golden State is living on in this Playoff Picture.
Man of the night: Jokic and Tatum headline a crowded MVP Race
On a night with several strong box scores, Nikola Jokic again felt like the gravitational center of the league. His line — north of 25 points with double-digit rebounds and close to double-digit assists on efficient shooting — is the kind of stat sheet most players see once in a career. For Jokic, it is Tuesday. He controlled the tempo, shredded pick-and-roll coverages and repeatedly found cutters the moment the weak-side help blinked. Another almost-effortless double-double that felt like a triple-double in impact.
Jayson Tatum was not far behind. His Player Stats will not always blow you away in one category, but his balanced scoring, rebounding on both ends and improved playmaking again anchored Boston’s offense. With around 30 points on strong efficiency, several trips to the line and active help defense, Tatum showed why his name sits firmly on the MVP Race shortlist. When he ramps up downhill aggression, Boston’s offense goes from good to nearly unguardable.
Elsewhere, LeBron turned in another vintage do-it-all outing for the Lakers: high-20s in points, close to double-figure assists and a handful of boards, all while toggling between initiator and closer. At his age and mileage, it still feels surreal to watch him dictate pace, hunt mismatches and then flip into late-game scorer mode. Without that engine, the Lakers’ margin for error in the NBA Standings would be razor thin.
Steph Curry’s line might not have popped quite as loud on the glass, but his scoring from deep and gravity off the ball were again the difference for the Warriors. Multiple threes in the fourth quarter, a handful of crafty finishes at the rim and his usual cardio-heavy movement bent the defense until it snapped. The Warriors still live and die by his jumper, and last night, it lived.
East power picture: Celtics still set the pace
The Eastern Conference hierarchy remains anchored by Boston. With the best record in the conference and one of the league’s top net ratings, the Celtics have earned their cushion. Milwaukee sits just behind, leaning heavily on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s relentless drives and Damian Lillard’s late-game shot-making, but defensive inconsistency continues to shadow their ceiling.
Below them, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers are trading runs. Cleveland’s young core has quietly stacked wins, while Philly continues to navigate injuries and rotational tweaks. The New York Knicks lurk in that next tier, a Tom Thibodeau group built on physical defense and heavy-minute workloads for Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Here is a compact look at the current East top five based on the latest official NBA Standings and results from the last 24 to 48 hours:
| East Rank | Team | W | L | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | – | – | – |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | – | – | <= 3.0 |
| 3 | Cleveland Cavaliers | – | – | <= 6.0 |
| 4 | Philadelphia 76ers | – | – | <= 7.0 |
| 5 | New York Knicks | – | – | <= 8.0 |
(Note: Exact win-loss figures and games-behind margins should be checked live; this table reflects the current order, not precise records.)
The East Play-In line is where the nerves live. Teams in the 7–10 band are separated by a handful of games at most, with recent losses suddenly feeling twice as heavy. A single cold shooting night or minor injury can flip seeding, home-court advantage and even first-round matchups. The NBA Standings are a moving target; coaches know this, which is why rotations are tightening and minutes for stars are inching up.
Wild West: Nuggets steady, Lakers and Warriors chase
Out West, Denver’s steadiness might be their greatest weapon. While the rest of the conference rides waves of hot streaks and losing skids, the Nuggets largely stay above the noise. Jokic’s nightly double-doubles, Murray’s late-clock shot-making and a defense that locks in when it must have turned them into the yardstick for everyone else.
Right behind, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves continue to feel like both contenders and experiments. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a nightly 30-point threat for OKC, and Anthony Edwards gives Minnesota a true go-to scorer in crunchtime. Their youth shows in late-game turnovers and occasional defensive lapses, but the ceiling is undeniable.
Below the elite tier, the battle lines are brutal. The Lakers, Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and a few surprise squads are clustered so tightly that one three-game win streak can vault a team from the Play-In zone into the 5–6 range, while a bad week can drop them toward the lottery conversation.
Here is a snapshot of the current West top five as shaped by the latest results and official NBA.com standings:
| West Rank | Team | W | L | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | – | – | – |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | – | – | <= 2.0 |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | – | – | <= 3.0 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | – | – | <= 4.0 |
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks | – | – | <= 6.0 |
(Again, for precise wins and losses, hit the live tracker on NBA.com; the order above reflects the current competitive tiers rather than frozen numbers.)
For the Lakers and Warriors, every night now feels like April. Coaches are treating second quarters like fourth quarters, staggering stars more aggressively and shortening the bench when leads slip. The Playoff Picture is not just about who gets in; it is about avoiding a do-or-die Play-In one-and-done where a hot shooting night from a lower seed can wreck a season of grinding.
Injuries, tweaks and what they mean for the race
The injury report is quietly shaping this stretch run as much as any Game Highlights. A few star names have popped up as day-to-day, forcing coaches to lean deeper into their benches. That can be a blessing or a curse. Some young role players are seizing the moment with energy defense, offensive rebounding and fearless threes; others are showing why coaches trust vets in crunchtime.
For teams like the Lakers and Warriors, any missed game from LeBron, Davis or Curry can be a standings earthquake. Each absence shifts defensive attention, removes a primary shot-creator and forces others into higher-usage roles. It is why training staffs are treating every minor tweak of an ankle or sore hamstring like a flashing red light this late in the year.
On the flip side, Denver and Boston currently enjoy relative continuity. That matters. Familiar lineups, predictable rotations and shared late-game reps all pay off when the pressure rises. Those small margins show up in Player Stats, but they echo even louder in the win column.
MVP radar: Jokic, Tatum, Giannis and the LeBron factor
The MVP Race is as nuanced as it has been in years. Jokic’s nightly efficiency and all-court control make him the betting favorite in many corners. His combination of scoring, rebounding and playmaking is so routine that we risk normalizing absurdity: 30 points on high shooting splits, 13 rebounds, 9 assists and one or two game-defining passes that never even show up in the box score.
Tatum’s candidacy leans on winning and two-way impact. Boston’s place atop the NBA Standings gives him a narrative edge, and his Player Stats back it up: high-20s scoring average, strong rebounding for a wing and career-best playmaking reads. He may not have as many viral highlights as some peers, but possession to possession, he is a problem.
Giannis Antetokounmpo refuses to leave the conversation. His relentless attacks at the rim, nightly double-doubles and improved passing out of doubles keep Milwaukee in the contender tier even when the defense wobbles. The Bucks go as his energy goes; when he plays downhill, they still look like a team nobody wants to see in a seven-game series.
And then there is LeBron. The advanced metrics may not all scream MVP, but the narrative of a late-30s star dragging a flawed roster into the Playoff Picture is impossible to ignore. He still controls pace, still calls out opposing sets before they happen and still turns into a closer when the game slows down.
What’s next: must-watch clashes and standings swing games
The next few nights are packed with games that could swing both the NBA Standings and the MVP Race. Any matchup featuring Celtics vs Bucks, Nuggets vs Timberwolves, Lakers vs Warriors or Suns vs Mavericks is essentially a multi-possession playoff preview. Every rotation tweak, every defensive coverage, every late-game set is being filed away for April and May.
For fans, the assignment is simple: lock in on the teams hovering around the Play-In line. That is where the rawest drama will live. One Steph Curry explosion could vault Golden State; one LeBron ankle tweak could drag the Lakers back into the danger zone. A surprise win from a young upstart, a veteran-laden squad dropping a winnable game on the road, a last-second buzzer beater that flips a tiebreaker — all of it is on the table in the coming days.
If this week’s slate taught us anything, it is that nothing below the true elite is safe. The top may feel set, but the riptide underneath is vicious. Check the live NBA Standings during every timeout, ride the Live Scores and dive into the Game Highlights, because the story of this regular season is still being written in real time.
Stay tuned: the weekend slate features heavyweight showdowns and trap games alike, the kind that can twist seeding, shift the Playoff Picture and nudge the MVP Race in fresh directions. And as always, the ball finds the drama.
