NBA Standings shake-up: Celtics, Thunder roll while LeBron’s Lakers cling to Play-In race
26.01.2026 - 15:59:06
The NBA Standings tightened again last night as the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder flexed their muscle at the top, while LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers scrapped for every inch in the crowded Western Conference Play-In picture. With playoff seeding, the MVP race and nightly player stats all under the microscope, every possession suddenly feels like late-April basketball.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Thrillers, blowouts and a shifting playoff picture
The headline from the last 24 hours: the top of the league held serve, but the middle got messy. Boston, anchored by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, continued to look every bit like a title favorite with another statement win that showcased their two-way dominance. Tatum stuffed the box score again, piling up points, rebounds and playmaking touches that never show up fully in the stat sheet, while Boston’s defense smothered yet another opponent into submission.
Out West, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again looked like the most effortless scorer in the league. Whether he is snaking through pick-and-rolls or pulling up from midrange, his offensive control continues to drive Oklahoma City’s rise near the top of the NBA Standings. Around him, the Thunder’s young core ran the floor, crashed the glass and turned live-ball turnovers into transition highlights that felt like a nightly mixtape.
The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, lived in crunchtime again. LeBron James orchestrated the halfcourt offense, flipping between downhill drives and laser skip passes to shooters in the corners. Anthony Davis battled inside for another workmanlike double-double, but the margin of error for LA right now is razor-thin. One cold stretch from downtown or a couple of sloppy turnovers, and that fragile grip on the upper Play-In tier starts to slip.
In the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks and Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers stayed firmly in the playoff mix, but their nights told different stories. Giannis powered through with trademark downhill aggression, bullying his way to the rim and racking up free throws. Embiid, still the offensive hub in Philly, mixed face-up jumpers with bruising post work, but questions around depth and health continue to hang over the Sixers’ long-term outlook.
Last night’s key performers and box score standouts
Every night in the NBA delivers a fresh wave of box scores, but a few stars clearly owned the spotlight in the latest slate of games. Tatum’s line was the kind of quiet dominance Celtics fans are starting to take for granted: efficient scoring, solid rebounding, secondary playmaking and plus defense on the other end. The MVP chatter around him is real, and it is not just about volume points; it is about winning basketball.
Gilgeous-Alexander once again turned a routine regular-season game into an MVP-level showcase. From the opening tip, he controlled tempo and clock, calling his own number when the Thunder needed a bucket and setting up teammates once the defense tilted his way. Step-back threes, crafty finishes at the rim, and a parade to the free throw line have become his nightly formula, and opposing defenses still have not found an answer.
LeBron’s stat line told the story of a veteran superstar who refuses to let go of the moment. Points, rebounds, assists – he checked every box, but more importantly he controlled late-game possessions. In crunchtime, he repeatedly hunted mismatches, attacked switches and kicked out to shooters when help arrived. It felt like a playoff atmosphere, and at this stage of his career, every one of these nights adds to the legend.
Other box-score winners included Stephen Curry, who still bends defenses the moment he crosses halfcourt, and Nikola Jokic, who seemingly wakes up with a triple-double already penciled in. Curry’s gravity from downtown opened easy cuts and slips for his teammates, while Jokic’s high-post orchestration made Denver’s offense hum with that familiar, unhurried precision.
On the flip side, a handful of big names struggled. Luka Doncic’s efficiency dipped under the constant pressure of traps and doubles, and turnovers crept in during key stretches. A few high-usage wings across the league also went cold from three, reminding everyone how fragile even elite offenses can look when the outside shot simply will not fall.
NBA Standings: who is rolling, who is on the bubble?
At the very top, Boston and Oklahoma City have created real separation in their conferences, but the middle tier is absolute chaos. One two-game winning streak can launch a team from the edge of the Play-In into home-court advantage territory; one mini-slump can send a would-be contender tumbling toward ninth or tenth.
Here is a compact look at how the current conference races are shaping up around the top and the Play-In line, based on the latest official NBA and ESPN data checked today:
| East Rank | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | Firm grip on 1-seed, eyeing best record |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Chasing, but inconsistent defense |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Home-court range, health questions |
| 7 | Miami Heat | On Playoff/Play-In bubble |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls | Play-In mix, record hovering around .500 |
| West Rank | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Surging young core, top seed pace |
| 2 | Denver Nuggets | Champions in cruise-control mode |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Elite defense, fighting for top-3 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Lakers | Play-In zone, fighting for separation |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | On the edge of Play-In, volatile |
The key takeaway: the NBA Standings are telling a story of two leagues within each conference. There is a small group of true contenders at the top, and then a massive middle where every night feels like a must-win. The Lakers, Warriors, Heat and Bulls are living in that tension, where a blown lead or a clutch road win can swing their postseason odds by several percentage points.
Coaches have started to lean into playoff-like rotations. Minutes for top stars are creeping up in tighter games, and you can see the urgency in defensive game plans. Switch-heavy schemes, late-game trapping of primary ball handlers and targeted hunting of weak defenders are no longer reserved for late April; they are becoming nightly staples for teams desperate to climb.
MVP race: Jokic, SGA, Tatum and the rest of the pack
From an individual awards perspective, the MVP race tightened again after the latest round of games. Nikola Jokic remains the advanced-metrics darling, stacking triple-double level production almost casually. His combination of points, rebounds and assists on elite efficiency, while anchoring Denver near the top of the West, gives him a statistical edge that jumps off any page of player stats.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, though, has the narrative juice right now. He is not just putting up gaudy scoring nights; he is doing it for a Thunder team that is punching above expectations and threatening for the best record in the conference. When a guard lives around the 30-point mark while maintaining playmaking duties and holding his own defensively, voters pay attention.
Jayson Tatum’s case is rooted in winning and two-way impact. His scoring might not always lead the league, but his combination of volume, efficiency and defensive versatility on the team with arguably the best record cannot be ignored. Tatum can guard up and down lineups, initiate offense in late-clock situations and deliver in crunchtime, a package that screams MVP-level value even if the box score some nights looks more modest.
Giannis, Luka and Embiid round out the lead pack, each with their own argument. Giannis remains an unstoppable interior force whose rim pressure warps opposing defenses. Luka is carrying one of the heaviest usage loads in basketball while still generating elite-level offense. Embiid’s scoring explosions and free-throw volume are nightly headaches for opposing bigs, even as availability remains a talking point.
Public and media debates have already started to pick apart small differences – defensive impact, clutch scoring, strength of schedule – and this stretch of the season is where the true separation happens. A single 40-point night in a nationally televised showdown, or a clutch road win against another top seed, can swing the MVP conversation almost as much as a month of steady production.
Injuries, depth charts and trade noise
Behind the highlight reels, front offices and coaching staffs are juggling lineups at a frantic pace. Several teams dealing with key injuries are learning, in real time, what their depth really looks like. Wing-heavy contenders are leaning on young rotation players to soak up tough defense assignments, while veteran-heavy rosters are fighting to stay fresh for the stretch run.
Injury reports over the last day have included a mix of minor knocks and more concerning updates. For playoff hopefuls, even a short-term absence to a starting guard or stretch big can swing a tight road back-to-back. Coaches have been open about balancing caution with urgency. The message: you do not want to chase seeding so hard that you burn your roster out before the postseason even starts.
Trade rumors, meanwhile, have not disappeared even though the major deadline flurry is past. Teams in the lower Play-In tier continue to be linked to available role players – 3-and-D wings, backup point guards, rim-running centers – that could plug very specific holes. Anonymous executive chatter across the usual news outlets still frames the Lakers, Warriors and other fringe contenders as active in the buyout and end-of-bench upgrade markets.
Coaches have weighed in, at least indirectly. Several postgame comments in the last 24 hours hammered on themes of consistency and chemistry. In coach-speak, that often translates to: we like our locker room, but we know we need better two-way minutes from the back half of the rotation. For front offices, the signal is clear – if you can find a low-cost upgrade who defends, hits open threes and does not wreck the cap sheet, you make the call.
What is next: must-watch matchups and the road ahead
The next few days on the schedule are loaded with games that will have a direct impact on the NBA Standings and the playoff picture. Top seeds face each other in de facto seeding tiebreakers, while middle-tier squads see back-to-backs that can either stabilize their season or send them spiraling.
Fans should have a close eye on any matchup featuring the Celtics, Nuggets, Thunder or Bucks against fellow contending teams. When Jokic sees Tatum, or SGA lines up opposite a backcourt like Curry and the Warriors, it is more than just a regular-season game – it is a measuring stick for May and June. Expect playoff-style defense, tightened rotations and stars logging heavy minutes.
The Play-In chase is where the nightly drama really lives. Every Lakers game down the stretch now carries must-watch energy. The same goes for the Warriors, who are living on the edge of the Play-In cut. One off shooting night from Curry or an off game from LeBron in the fourth could mean the difference between seventh and eleventh.
For fans, the action plan is simple: stay locked in, check the live scores often, and track the nightly player stats that are driving the narrative around both team success and the MVP race. The margins are tiny, the storylines are huge, and the next two weeks could redefine the entire shape of the postseason bracket.
Every night from here on out will feel just a little bit more like playoff basketball. And as the noise around standings, tiebreakers and awards grows louder, the one constant is clear – the path to the title still runs straight through the elite at the top of the NBA Standings.
