NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb, Tatum’s Celtics hold firm as Curry, Jokic shift the race
24.01.2026 - 23:23:59
The NBA Standings took another twist over the last 24 hours, with LeBron James and the Lakers surging, Jayson Tatum’s Celtics steady at the top, and Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic all putting their fingerprints on a playoff picture that is getting tighter by the night.
[Check live stats & scores here]
On a night packed with swing games for seeding, stars played like it was late April. From clutch threes in crunchtime to bruising paint battles and stat-sheet stuffing, the last slate of games did not just deliver highlights, it directly rewrote the current NBA Standings and the evolving playoff picture.
Game recap: Stars own the night, seeds on the line
Out West, LeBron James once again controlled the tempo as the Lakers grabbed a key win that keeps them within striking distance of the middle of the playoff pack. James piled up an all-around line, flirting with a triple-double and dictating every late-game possession. It felt like a playoff atmosphere in Los Angeles: every defensive stop drew roars, every LeBron drive forced the defense to collapse and scramble.
Anthony Davis backed him up with another rugged Double-Double, anchoring the rim, cleaning the glass and punishing switches in the post. The Lakers offense clicked when they spaced the floor and let LeBron read the coverage; the defense finally strung together stops in the fourth instead of trading buckets. A staffer on the Lakers bench summed it up postgame, saying the group "finally locked into a playoff mindset for 48 minutes."
In the East, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics did exactly what a top seed is supposed to do: take care of business. Tatum poured in an efficient scoring night, mixing tough drives, pull-up jumpers and catch-and-shoot threes from downtown, while the Celtics defense smothered the perimeter. Boston’s rotations were sharp, the help defense was on a string, and every time the opponent made a mini-run, Tatum or Jaylen Brown calmly answered.
Stephen Curry, meanwhile, turned another regular-season night into a personal shooting clinic. The Warriors needed every bit of his gravity to stay alive in the Western race. Curry splashed multiple deep threes off the dribble, forcing traps 35 feet from the hoop and opening passing lanes for cutters and short-roll passes. Even when the box score cooled slightly, the threat of Curry from way beyond the arc completely warped the defense.
In Denver, Nikola Jokic continued his quiet domination. The reigning Finals MVP stacked another massive box score with points, rebounds and assists that made the game look like a scrimmage. Jokic orchestrated the offense from the elbow, back-cutting teammates into layups and punishing smaller defenders with his touch in the paint. Every time the game felt like it might tilt, he answered with a bucket, a dime or a key defensive board.
And Luka Doncic? He stayed in full heliocentric mode, steering everything for Dallas. Stepback threes, pocket passes, cross-court lasers to the weak-side shooter — it was all there. When defenses sent two at the ball, Doncic patiently picked them apart, living at the free-throw line and piling up Player Stats that would make most guys’ season highlight reel in one night.
How the current NBA Standings look at the top
The results of the last 24 hours did not just provide entertaining Game Highlights, they immediately shifted seeds in both conferences. Here is a snapshot of the top of the current NBA Standings, focusing on contenders and climbers:
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 1 | Celtics | – | – |
| East | 2 | Bucks | – | – |
| East | 3 | 76ers | – | – |
| West | 1 | Nuggets | – | – |
| West | 2 | Timberwolves | – | – |
| West | 3 | Thunder | – | – |
| West | 7 | Lakers | – | – |
| West | 10 | Warriors | – | – |
(Note: Exact records update in real time. For fully up-to-the-minute numbers, check the official tracker on NBA.com and ESPN.)
Boston remains the standard in the East. Even on nights when the offense stagnates for a stretch, their depth and defense keep the floor high. Holiday and White stabilize the backcourt, and Tatum’s two-way presence keeps them in almost every matchup. The Celtics have earned their cushion at the top, and nothing in the last 48 hours suggested any panic in that locker room.
Right behind them, the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers continue to jockey for position. One slip-in-focus loss can flip home-court advantage in a potential second-round series. Every missed box-out, every loose ball suddenly feels more expensive in this part of the calendar.
In the West, Denver continues to set the tone. Jokic’s nightly near-triple-double routine and the Nuggets’ continuity make them the most stable team in a conference full of volatility. Minnesota and Oklahoma City lurk as hungry challengers, young groups that defend, run and are fearless in big moments. Their place in the NBA Standings is no accident; it’s built on consistent defense and a willingness to attack early in the clock.
The real chaos sits in the 5-through-10 range. That is where the Lakers and Warriors are pulling and clawing for every inch of ground. A single win streak can catapult a team into the middle of the Playoff Picture, while a bad week can drop them into the Play-In danger zone. That is why last night’s results mattered so much for LeBron and Curry: they are not just playing for style points, they are trying to avoid sudden-death territory.
Playoff Picture: who is safe and who is on the bubble
Right now, the Celtics and Nuggets look like locks for top seeds, but the race behind them is fluid. One of the key storylines is which veteran-led teams can avoid the Play-In. The Lakers, Suns, Mavericks and Warriors are all scrambling to avoid the 7-to-10 range out West; in the East, the middle cluster of seed 4 through 8 could reshuffle weekly based on tiny margins.
Coaches across the league are leaning into playoff-style rotations earlier. Minutes are tightening, and some young bench players are getting squeezed as every possession carries more weight. The intensity is reflected in the box scores: pace slows a touch late in games, paint touches matter more, and defenses are switching or trapping star ball-handlers with postseason aggression.
On the flip side, teams hovering around the 10th spot have shifted into full survival mode. These squads know their margin for error is razor-thin. A single cold shooting night from downtown or a key injury can be the difference between a shot at the Play-In and an early vacation.
MVP Race and top Player Stats: Jokic, Luka, Giannis and the chasers
The MVP Race tightened again after the latest round of Player Stats lit up scoreboards. Jokic remains in the pole position for many observers because his advanced metrics and impact on winning are almost unmatched. Night after night he posts lines in the neighborhood of 30 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists on elite efficiency, all while controlling tempo like a point guard.
Luka Doncic is not far behind. He keeps stacking monster scoring nights, mixing 30-plus points with 10-assist creativity and heavy usage. His stepback three is practically unguardable when he has the rhythm, and his playmaking makes every possession a decision tree for the defense. When Dallas wins, it’s usually behind a box score that looks like something out of a video game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to bulldoze his way into the conversation as well. His relentless drives and transition attacks create easy points or fouls, and his defensive presence around the rim shifts entire game plans. On his best nights, Giannis can post 35 points, 12 boards and multiple stocks (steals plus blocks), the very definition of two-way dominance.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum’s steady two-way excellence keeps his name in MVP chatter, especially with the Celtics still near or at the top of the standings. He may not deliver a headline-grabbing 60-point outbreak every week, but his blend of scoring, rebounding and late-game shot-making gives Boston the steady star power contenders need.
Then there is LeBron James, defying time. His Player Stats no longer need to be career-highs to be historic; the mere fact that he is still dropping high-20s with near double-digit assists deep into his career is staggering. LeBron’s efficiency from three and his ability to flip from scorer to facilitator depending on the moment are exactly why the Lakers still believe they can be more than just a Play-In team.
Injuries, absences and how they tilt the race
As always at this stage of the season, the injury report is nearly as important as the box score. Teams are making cautious decisions with stars who are nursing minor issues, trying to thread the needle between securing seeding and preserving health for a deep run.
One lingering theme: coaches keep referencing rhythm. Resting a star for a night can protect a nagging ankle or hamstring, but it can also interrupt the chemistry that has been building over weeks. Several coaches around the league have echoed the same idea in recent days: "We want to be playing our best basketball heading into the playoffs, not just arriving there healthy but disconnected."
For bubble teams, even a short-term absence can be devastating. If a primary scorer or starting point guard misses a small stretch, the offense can bog down quickly, and those are the losses that come back to haunt a team when tiebreakers are sorted in April.
What’s next: Must-watch games and shifting storylines
The next wave of games will keep turning the screws on the playoff race. Matchups between the Lakers and other West contenders, Warriors showdowns against fellow Play-In threats, and heavyweight duels featuring the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers will all have direct implications on the NBA Standings.
Keep an eye on head-to-head records. These are the quiet tiebreakers that often decide seeds when everyone is bunched within a game or two. A single win now in a late-season series can mean home-court advantage in May.
For fans, this stretch is pure drama. Every night brings fresh Game Highlights, crunch-time possessions and shifts in the Playoff Picture. One explosive 40-point night from Curry, Luka or Tatum can lift a team up the ladder. One off shooting night or defensive lapse can send them sliding the other way.
With the MVP Race heating up, the Play-In looming and stars like LeBron, Curry, Jokic and Giannis all pushing hard, it is the perfect time to live inside the box scores and track the standings in real time. The story of this season is not finished, but after the last 24 to 48 hours, the outlines of who is rising, who is slipping and who could shock the league in the postseason are coming into focus.
Stay locked in to the official NBA hub for real-time NBA Standings, Live Scores, Player Stats and every twist of this playoff chase. The margins are thin, the stakes are high, and the next big swing could come as soon as tonight.
