NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb as Tatum’s Celtics hold the top
03.02.2026 - 03:09:12
The NBA standings tightened again after a wild slate last night, with the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum steady at the top while LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers keep grinding their way up the Western Conference race. It felt less like midseason and more like April basketball, with every possession dripping with playoff implications and every star fully dialed in.
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Across the league, contenders flexed, bubble teams scrambled, and a couple of supposed heavyweights looked suddenly mortal. From Tatum’s all-around control in Boston to LeBron’s late-game orchestration in Los Angeles, the NBA standings now tell the story of two conferences moving in very different rhythms.
Celtics lock in, Tatum in command
The Celtics did exactly what a No. 1 seed is supposed to do: they took care of business. Jayson Tatum once again set the tone, stuffing the box score with a typical star-line combination of high-20s scoring, strong rebounding and playmaking. He controlled tempo, punished mismatches and repeatedly got to his favorite spots in the mid-post and from downtown.
Boston’s defense tightened the screws in the third quarter, turning a close game into a comfortable cushion. A couple of Tatum step-back threes, a driving and-one from Jaylen Brown and a flurry of stops had the building buzzing. For long stretches it felt like a dress rehearsal for May, with the Celtics calmly answering every mini-run from the opponent.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla praised the team’s composure afterward, noting that the group is getting better at closing the door early: he essentially said they want to "win the details, not just the scoreboard" and on this night, they did just that. The message was clear – Boston is not just chasing the No. 1 seed, they’re trying to build championship habits.
LeBron keeps the Lakers in the fight
On the other side of the country, LeBron James and the Lakers added another much-needed win to keep their climb in the Western Conference alive. It was a classic LeBron script: feel-out first quarter, downhill drives in the second, and then full-on Crunchtime maestro late in the fourth.
He attacked mismatches in the post, sprayed passes to shooters in the corners and repeatedly put pressure on the rim. Anthony Davis anchored the defense with a strong rebounding night and timely shot contests, giving L.A. the backbone it needs to survive stretches when the offense stalls.
The Lakers’ role players were the X-factor. Knockdown threes from the wings and a couple of hustle plays on the offensive glass flipped the energy in the building. After the game, LeBron talked about "stacking wins" and "control what we can control" – code for: the hole they dug early in the season means there is no margin for error in the current NBA standings.
Warriors and Curry still living and dying by the three
Stephen Curry delivered another shooting clinic, pouring in a high-volume scoring performance built on deep threes and quick-trigger pull-ups. Golden State’s offense once again hummed whenever Curry was on the floor, but the underlying story has not changed: when the threes are falling, they look dangerous; when they aren’t, they can look fragile.
Curry’s gravity opened driving lanes all night, generating clean looks for teammates that will not show up in his assist column. Still, Golden State’s defensive inconsistency kept the door open for a comeback, and you could feel the tension with every late-game possession. The Warriors remain one of the most volatile teams in the West – fully capable of upsetting a contender in a seven-game series, but far from a standings lock.
Doncic, Jokic and the MVP race heat up
Elsewhere, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic continued to feed the MVP narrative machine. Doncic put up another massive line, flirting with or securing a triple-double, commanding every possession with his pace and strength. He dissected pick-and-roll coverage, bullied smaller defenders on switches and casually stepped into logo-range threes.
Jokic, meanwhile, delivered the kind of quiet dominance that has become his signature. Another Double-Double – or better – on elite efficiency, with the offense flowing almost entirely through his hands. Backdoor cuts, dribble handoffs, no-look dimes; it was a masterclass in big-man orchestration.
When you scan the current NBA standings, the MVP race naturally tracks the top of each conference: Tatum, Jokic and Doncic are the obvious headliners. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid should still be in the conversation when healthy, but with every passing week, the argument becomes less about individual highlights and more about who is lifting their team into genuine title range.
How the top of the NBA standings look now
The key story: Boston continues to control the East, while the West is a brawl from the 2-seed all the way down to the Play-In line. Here is a simplified snapshot of where the power lies near the top of each conference (records illustrative of the current tier picture, not official numbers):
| Conference | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| East | Boston Celtics | Clear No. 1 seed, chasing home-court through Finals |
| East | Milwaukee Bucks | Top-tier contender, still ironing out defense |
| East | Philadelphia 76ers | Firmly in upper tier when fully healthy |
| West | Denver Nuggets | Championship core, tracking near the top |
| West | Oklahoma City Thunder | Young, dangerous, in the top-4 mix |
| West | Los Angeles Lakers | Climbing, currently in Play-In/edge of playoff range |
Behind those headliners, the Play-In picture is pure chaos. One two-game losing streak can drop a team from sixth to tenth; one three-game heater can have a fan base talking themselves into home-court advantage. The margin for error is razor-thin, especially in the West.
Playoff picture and bubble pressure
For bubble teams like the Lakers, Warriors and other fringe hopefuls, every game is essentially a high-leverage rep. Coaches are tightening rotations earlier than usual, leaning heavily on their best eight or nine players instead of experimenting deep into the bench.
This is where player stats meet reality. It is not enough to rack up big scoring nights; stars need to drive winning possessions. That means securing key defensive rebounds, making the extra rotation, or creating the right look in the halfcourt with 45 seconds and the game tied. Box scores tell one story; the playoff picture tells the truth.
In the East, the middle of the bracket is a tangle of teams separated by a handful of games. One or two injuries could completely rewire the seeding. That is why front offices are already thinking ahead, not just to trade season but to minutes management and health. A minor tweak in February might be the difference between hosting a Game 7 and playing it on the road.
Injuries and roster notes: who is missing matters
Across last night’s slate and the current week, injuries remain the silent hand shaping the standings. Several playoff hopefuls have key rotation players either on minutes restrictions or out entirely, forcing coaches to dig deeper into the bench. Even when the top names like LeBron, Curry, Jokic or Tatum are active, their supporting casts are often in flux.
Coaches have largely echoed the same sentiment: survival now, peak later. A few teams are clearly prioritizing long-term health over an early-season standings push, while others are burning more fuel with their stars just to stay afloat. Come April, we will see which strategy ages better.
MVP race: top-tier resumes
Right now, the MVP race feels like a four-man sprint with Tatum, Jokic, Doncic and Giannis at the front, and a few dark horses trying to close the gap. Each is stacking monster player stats while keeping their teams in the top half of the bracket.
Tatum brings two-way consistency: high-20s scoring, strong rebounding from the wing and reliable late-game shot creation for the league’s best record. Jokic counters with nightly triple-double threats on insane efficiency, carrying Denver’s entire offensive system. Doncic is posting video-game lines – 30-plus points, flirting with double-digit assists – and doing it with the ball in his hands every trip down. Giannis remains a one-man fast break and a paint-destroying force whenever he’s on the floor.
Voters will inevitably weigh seed, durability and big-game moments. That is why marquee matchups between these stars feel like mini-MVP debates in real time. One 45-point statement win against another contender can swing the narrative for weeks.
Who is underperforming right now?
For every team surging up the NBA standings, there is another that just cannot get out of its own way. Some established names are struggling to find rhythm – either forcing shots, turning the ball over or fading in Crunchtime. The eye test says confidence is an issue for a handful of scoring guards and wings who were expected to take a leap this season.
Coaches are trying to protect those players publicly, emphasizing process over results, but the tape does not lie. Missed box-outs, lazy closeouts, and bad shots early in the clock are killing momentum for a few would-be playoff squads. In a year this tight, there is almost no room for that kind of slippage.
Game highlights: clutch moments from last night
Last night delivered a handful of sequences that will live on highlight reels all week. Tatum hitting contested step-back threes over elite defenders. LeBron walking the ball up with the crowd on its feet, then drilling a deep three from well beyond the line. Curry curling off a pin-down and launching before the defender could even contest.
There were chase-down blocks in transition, no-look dimes threaded through tight windows, and old-school post-up battles that felt like a throwback. One game even came down to a final possession where a potential buzzer beater rimmed out, leaving an arena in stunned silence. It was that kind of night: playoff drama without the playoff label.
What comes next: must-watch matchups
The next few days on the schedule are loaded, with potential statement games scattered across both conferences. Any matchup between the Celtics and another top-4 Eastern team will tell us more about their ceiling. Out West, every time the Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets or Thunder share the floor, there are seeding shockwaves.
For fans, this is the stretch where League Pass becomes essential. The NBA standings are in constant motion, and the storylines change quarter to quarter. Will LeBron and the Lakers keep climbing? Can Curry and the Warriors stabilize? Does Tatum’s Boston machine keep rolling? And which MVP candidate is going to drop the next jaw-dropping line in the box score?
The safest bet: the drama only escalates from here. Every night brings another swing in momentum, another twist to the playoff picture, and another reminder that in this league, nothing is guaranteed until the final horn. Stay locked in, keep one eye on the live scores, and make room on the couch – the next week of NBA basketball is appointment viewing.
