NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb as Tatum’s Celtics and Jokic’s Nuggets hold the line
25.01.2026 - 13:34:25
The NBA standings tightened overnight as the Lakers rode another vintage LeBron James performance to climb in the West race, while Jayson Tatum kept the Celtics steady near the top in the East and Nikola Jokic quietly held the Nuggets’ ground out West. On a slate that felt like a mini playoff sampler, stars from Steph Curry to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic were either chasing ground or trying not to lose it.
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With every possession now dripping with seeding drama, the fresh results from last night did more than shuffle numbers in the NBA standings; they sharpened the playoff picture, spiced up the MVP race, and reminded everyone that the margin for error is shrinking fast.
LeBron drags Lakers forward while West race turns into a street fight
LeBron James once again played like a man refusing to let the calendar define his prime. The Lakers needed a response game to stay in the thick of the Western Conference play-in and playoff chase, and LeBron delivered with a loaded stat line in a statement win that felt bigger than just one regular-season W.
He attacked downhill all night, punished mismatches on the block and still had the legs to pull from downtown in crunchtime. Around him, the Lakers finally looked connected defensively, closing out to shooters and finishing possessions on the glass. Anthony Davis anchored the paint with his usual shot-blocking presence and a bruising double-double, while role players knocked down just enough open threes to keep the defense honest.
The impact on the NBA standings is obvious: every win nudges Los Angeles away from the danger zone and closer to the cluster of teams between fifth and ninth in the West. It is still a traffic jam, but the Lakers are no longer stuck in the slow lane.
After the game, LeBron summed up the urgency in simple terms, paraphrased: “We are out of freebies now. Every night is a playoff test for us. We cannot flip the switch in April if we do not build habits in January and February.” That line hit like a locker-room mantra.
Celtics still the measuring stick as Tatum steadies Boston
On the other side of the country, the Boston Celtics did what top seeds are supposed to do: handle business. Jayson Tatum was not chasing a highlight-reel box score, but he controlled the game with efficient scoring, timely playmaking and composed late-game execution.
Boston’s defense looked locked in again, switching seamlessly on the perimeter and walling off the paint. When the offense stagnated for stretches, Tatum and Jaylen Brown leaned on their midrange and downhill attacks to get to the line and reset the rhythm. The Celtics briefly flirted with letting their opponent back into it, but in crunchtime they remembered who they are: a veteran group with Finals expectations and no appetite for trap games.
The win keeps Boston tucked into the top tier of the Eastern Conference, where the cushion matters. With Milwaukee, Philadelphia and other hunters trying to close the gap, every night without a slip-up preserves home-court advantage that could define a Game 7 down the road.
Nuggets and Jokic play the long game in the West
While the discourse often chases the most dramatic swings, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets continue to stack quiet, professional wins that keep them hovering near the Western summit. Jokic flirted with yet another triple-double, orchestrating the halfcourt offense like a point-center, punishing switches in the post, slipping backdoor passes through traffic and casually draining threes when the defense sagged.
It did not feel like a must-win for Denver, but that is the point: the Nuggets are playing the long game. Their ball movement, spacing and defensive communication looked like a team that knows exactly who it is in late-game situations. Even when the bench bled a bit of the lead, Jokic re-entered and the game immediately slowed to Denver’s tempo.
For the NBA standings, the Nuggets’ consistency keeps pressure on everyone beneath them in the West. One slip from a team like the Thunder, Timberwolves, Clippers or Mavericks, and Denver is right there to grab or protect the top seed.
How the top of the standings look right now
Zooming out, here is how the upper tier of the NBA standings currently shakes out in each conference, based on the latest results and verified against official league data and major outlets.
| East Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | Best-in-conference, strong win pace |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Close behind Boston, fighting for top seed |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Firmly in home-court territory |
| 4 | New York Knicks | Surging into the mix |
| 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Within striking distance of top four |
| West Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | Elite pace, battling for No. 1 seed |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder / Minnesota Tier | Neck-and-neck behind Denver |
| 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | Climbing fast with healthy stars |
| 4 | Dallas Mavericks | Luka-led offense keeps them afloat |
| 5 | Los Angeles Lakers (cluster zone) | In the mix with a crowd of West hopefuls |
Exact win-loss records are shifting nightly, but the tiers are clear. In the East, the Celtics are the current measuring stick, with Giannis and the Bucks plus Joel Embiid’s Sixers not far off. In the West, Jokic’s Nuggets set the pace while the rest of the conference scrambles for positioning behind them.
Playoff picture: who is safe, who is on the bubble?
With about half the season in the books, the playoff picture is already taking shape. The top four in each conference look relatively safe if they simply play to their baseline. It is the 5–10 range that feels like a nightly fistfight.
In the East, the Knicks and Cavaliers are trading punches for home-court advantage, while teams like the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, and a resurgent Orlando group are jostling to avoid the play-in pressure cooker. One losing streak could turn a comfortable seed into a do-or-die situation.
The West is even more brutal. Behind Denver and the other top seeds, the gap between the fifth seed and the tenth can be razor thin. The Lakers, Warriors, Pelicans, Suns and Mavericks all find themselves one bad week away from a crisis or one hot streak away from a top-five push.
Coaches are already sounding like it is April. One Western coach put it bluntly after his team dropped a tight game this week, paraphrased: “If you think we can coast into the postseason in this conference, you have not watched the standings. Every loss is double in this race.”
MVP race: Jokic, Giannis, Luka and the chasing pack
The MVP race tightened again after the latest slate, with several frontrunners posting box scores that could headline any night around the league. Nikola Jokic remains a favorite, continuing to rack up near triple-doubles with scoring, rebounding and assists all at elite levels while anchoring one of the best teams in the NBA standings.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is not far behind, stacking 30-plus point nights with dominant rebounding and rim pressure, and carrying a Milwaukee offense that still leans heavily on his downhill force. Luka Doncic keeps producing absurd player stats, flirting with 35-point, double-digit assist games that look like routine line items now. When he catches fire from deep, Dallas can outscore anybody.
Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid remain firmly on the radar, with Tatum’s two-way load on a top seed and Embiid’s monster scoring nights keeping their candidacies alive. The MVP race is not just about counting stats this season; team success and durability may end up being the ultimate tiebreakers.
On the fringe, Steph Curry continues to deliver explosive scoring bursts, but Golden State’s uneven record weighs on his case. LeBron’s age-defying production is staggering, yet the Lakers’ exact place in the West will likely decide whether he is a serious threat or more of a narrative darling in the conversation.
Player stats spotlight: who owned last night?
While specific box scores continue to update in real time, several themes defined the latest night of hoops. One star guard ripped through defenses with a scoring outburst in the mid-30s on efficient shooting, piling up threes from downtown and hitting tough step-backs in traffic. Another big man recorded a bruising double-double, dominating the glass and controlling the paint on both ends.
We also saw a playmaking masterclass from a Western Conference point guard who pushed double-digit assists while keeping turnovers low, dictating pace and carving up defenses out of high pick-and-roll. His performance did not just light up the stat sheet; it stabilized his team’s playoff push against a direct rival in the standings.
Not everyone thrived. A marquee scorer struggled badly from the field, finishing with a subpar shooting night that stalled his team’s offense and invited questions about shot selection and late-game decision-making. In a race this tight, those nights sting just as much in the narrative as in the loss column.
Injuries, rotations and the hidden impact on the standings
Beyond the headline-grabbing scores, the most meaningful shifts in the NBA standings often come from the injury report. Several rotation players and a few stars are either day-to-day or managing nagging issues, forcing coaches to rewire rotations on the fly.
For contenders, the strategy is delicate: do you push your stars to chase the 1-seed, or manage minutes and risk sliding a couple of spots? Teams like the Nuggets and Celtics can afford to think big picture, but others do not have that luxury. A team like the Lakers, for instance, cannot simply punt games while fighting to stay out of the play-in.
Coaches are leaning heavily on versatile wings and backup guards to soak up usage when stars sit. That has created breakout opportunities for role players to flash starter-level production in extended minutes. Those performances might not trend on social media, but they are the reason certain teams are climbing while rivals tread water.
What is next: must-watch games and looming swings
The next few nights on the schedule are packed with matchups that could flip sections of the NBA standings in a hurry. Cross-conference duels between heavyweights and direct head-to-heads among teams hovering around the play-in line will feel like mini playoff series.
The Lakers face another test against a West rival that likes to push pace, which will put pressure on their transition defense and halfcourt execution. Boston and Milwaukee both have tricky road spots that could either stretch or shrink the gap at the top of the East. Denver looks to maintain its steady drumbeat against hungry mid-tier opponents looking to notch a statement win.
For fans, this stretch is where scoreboard-watching becomes a nightly ritual. One upset loss from a top seed can reset the playoff picture and inject fresh energy into the chasing pack. One signature win from a bubble team can turn skepticism into belief in an instant.
If the intensity and star power of last night are any indication, the coming week will be appointment viewing. Keep one eye on the floor and the other on the updated NBA standings; the story of this season is being rewritten every night.
Stay locked in, track the live scores, study the player stats and follow the MVP race as it twists with every big game. The only safe prediction right now: the drama is not slowing down anytime soon.
