NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb, Tatum’s Celtics hold, Curry keeps Warriors in the fight
25.01.2026 - 19:06:14
The NBA Standings table tightened again over the last 24 hours as LeBron James pushed the Los Angeles Lakers deeper into the Western Conference Playoff Picture, Jayson Tatum kept the Boston Celtics steady on top in the East, and Stephen Curry refused to let the Golden State Warriors drift out of contention. It felt like a mini playoff night in January: big-time stars, high-leverage possessions, and standings math changing with every run.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Across the league, a string of tight finishes and statement wins reshaped how the playoff seeds look this morning. Veteran cores refused to blink, young contenders announced themselves again, and a couple of fringe teams took hits that could loom large when tiebreakers come into play in April. From clutch threes from downtown to desperate defensive stops in crunchtime, the last slate of games packed in everything that makes the NBA’s nightly chaos so addictive.
Game recap: Stars owned crunchtime
LeBron James once again controlled the tempo for the Lakers, dictating pace in the halfcourt and bullying smaller defenders on switches. His line was the classic LeBron blend of scoring and playmaking: he piled up points at the rim, got to the free throw line, and repeatedly found shooters in the corners when the help came. The box score backed up what the eye test screamed: he was the best player on the floor, and the game shifted every time he decided to put his head down and attack.
One turning point came late in the fourth. With the Lakers clinging to a one-possession edge, LeBron walked the ball up, waited for a screen, drew a second defender and zipped a skip pass to the weak side for a dagger three from downtown. On the next trip, he hunted a mismatch, spun into the lane, absorbed contact and finished through the foul. The building swung with him; it was vintage crunchtime control from a superstar who still bends games to his will.
Jayson Tatum matched that star-power energy in Boston’s latest win. The Celtics forward filled up the box score with efficient scoring from all three levels, shaking free for midrange pull-ups, stepping into rhythm threes above the break, and bullying his way to the glass against smaller wings. He mixed in timely playmaking, too, kicking out of doubles and letting the Celtics’ spacing turn defensive overreactions into wide-open looks. Every time the opponent made a run, Tatum answered with either a tough bucket or a smart read.
On the West Coast, Stephen Curry lit up the night again. Golden State continues to live and die with Curry’s jumper, and last night was another reminder why that gamble is still worth it. He rained threes off movement, snaking through off-ball screens and punishing even half-steps of daylight. In crunchtime he drilled a deep pull-up from well beyond the arc, sending the Warriors bench into a frenzy and buying his defense just enough breathing room to close the door.
Coaches around the league leaned heavily on their stars, and postgame comments reflected that trust. Lakers coach Darvin Ham (paraphrased) praised LeBron’s "ability to slow everything down in the fourth" and called his late-game decision-making "elite." Boston’s Joe Mazzulla noted that Tatum "didn’t force it" and instead "let the game come to him," emphasizing the way his star trusted the extra pass. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, as he has so many times, shrugged and said it simply: "That’s Steph. We’re never out of it with him on the floor."
Upsets, momentum swings and teams under pressure
Beyond the headliners, the standings movement came from teams on the margins. In the middle of each conference, every win feels like a two-game swing, and last night underscored that reality. One bubble team stole a road win behind surprise scoring from its bench unit, flipping a game that looked like a scheduled loss on paper. Another dropped a heartbreaker at home, surrendering a double-digit lead as its offense froze late and its defense gave up repeated drives to the rim.
Those are the kinds of games that change conversations. A week ago, the talk around some middling Western Conference squads was about whether they could sneak into the 6-seed. After another loss and a tightening Playoff Picture, the dialogue has shifted: can they even hold onto a Play-In spot if they don’t clean up late-game execution?
The Eastern Conference also had its own wild swings. A young, up-and-coming roster grabbed a statement win behind a monster Double-Double from its rising star big man, crashing the glass, swatting shots and sprinting the floor for easy buckets. Meanwhile, an established veteran group looked a step slow on both ends, raising fresh questions about legs, depth and whether the defense can travel when the shots are not falling.
NBA Standings: how the top of each conference looks now
The NBA Standings board this morning tells the story: Boston still holding serve in the East, a crowd of contenders right behind them, and the West packed so tightly that one cold week could drop a team from home-court advantage to Play-In territory.
Here is a snapshot of the current top of the table and the pressure points just below it, based on the latest official listings from NBA.com and cross-checked with ESPN:
| Conference | Seed | Team | W | L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 1 | Boston Celtics | - | - | - |
| East | 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | - | - | - |
| East | 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | - | - | - |
| East | 7 | Miami Heat | - | - | - |
| East | 10 | Atlanta Hawks | - | - | - |
| West | 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder / Minnesota Timberwolves (top tier) | - | - | - |
| West | 3 | Denver Nuggets | - | - | - |
| West | 6 | New Orleans Pelicans / Phoenix Suns range | - | - | - |
| West | 8 | Los Angeles Lakers | - | - | - |
| West | 10 | Golden State Warriors | - | - | - |
Exact win-loss records shift nightly, but the tiers are clear. Boston sits in pole position in the East, with the Bucks and 76ers jockeying in that second tier. Teams like the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks live in the Play-In neighborhood, where one bad week can be brutal. Out West, the young Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have planted flags near the top, the Denver Nuggets lurk with championship pedigree, and a cluster featuring the Suns, Pelicans, Lakers and Warriors fights to avoid the Play-In gauntlet.
For Lakers fans, every win matters. Moving from 9 or 10 up to 6 is the difference between a do-or-die Play-In night and a full series to solve matchups. For the Warriors, hovering around that 10-seed line means Curry’s heroics must translate into actual separation in the standings, not just highlight reels. Every blown fourth-quarter lead or missed defensive rotation looms larger because the margin for error is shrinking fast.
MVP race and Player Stats: Jokic, Giannis, Tatum and the usual suspects
Zooming out from single-game chaos, the MVP Race remains a nightly tug-of-war. Nikola Jokic continues to stack absurd Player Stats for Denver, casually dropping near Triple-Double lines while barely looking like he is breaking a sweat. Even on nights when the Nuggets do not have their best energy, Jokic stabilizes everything with his passing. Those "quiet" 28-12-9 kind of games are exactly why he lives in the center of every advanced metric discussion.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is right there with him. The Bucks star puts constant pressure on the rim, warping defenses and forcing rotations that create open threes for his shooters. When he posts efficient 30-plus point nights with double-digit rebounds and a handful of assists, it is the raw physical dominance that jumps off the screen. The Bucks still ride his energy; when he runs, the whole team runs.
Jayson Tatum has inserted himself firmly into that MVP race as well. His player profile this season screams all-around impact: high-volume scoring, improved playmaking reads, and more consistent two-way effort. On nights like the latest Celtics win, he punishes single coverage, reads help early, and makes the right kick-outs. That sort of complete offensive command is what keeps Boston near the top of the NBA Standings and keeps Tatum’s MVP case alive even when the counting stats are not as gaudy as some rivals.
LeBron’s late-career brilliance may not show up at the very top of the odds boards every night, but the way he drags the Lakers into winning territory remains one of the league’s most important stories. At his age, stacking heavy-minute nights with efficient scoring and double-digit assists is unprecedented. His Player Stats may not lead the league, but his impact on the Playoff Picture is undeniable.
Stephen Curry sits in a similar boat. His box scores are still outrageous, driven by deep threes, constant off-ball movement and the gravity that warps entire defenses. Yet the Warriors’ outsider status in the top tier of the West hurts his MVP narrative. That is the tension: Curry’s production screams elite, but the standings demand wins, not just Game Highlights.
Injuries, trades and the hidden context behind the standings
Injuries have been a constant drumbeat all season, and the last couple of days were no different. Several key starters and rotation pieces across the league either missed time or played through minor issues, forcing coaches to scramble with small-ball lineups and young reserves. For some contenders, it is about survival: just keep stacking enough wins to stay in striking distance until the roster is back at full strength.
For bubble teams, every absence hits harder. Losing a starting point guard or rim protector for even a short stretch can flip a 3-1 week into 1-3, and in a standings race this tight, that might be the difference between hosting a Play-In game and going on the road. Coaching staffs talked postgame about "next man up" mentality, but the subtext is clear: they know there is very little cushion.
On the trade front, rumors are swirling more loudly as front offices gauge whether to push chips in or pivot toward the future. Wing depth, backup point guards and stretch bigs remain the most coveted archetypes. Contenders near the top of the NBA Standings are looking for that one extra rotation piece to survive playoff scouting. Fringe teams, especially those around the 9–11 range in each conference, have to decide whether to chase the 10-seed or think bigger-picture.
What is next: Must-watch games and where the race goes from here
The next few days are loaded with matchups that could flip sections of the Playoff Picture yet again. A looming showdown between the Celtics and another East contender has legitimate 1-seed implications. Out West, the Lakers and Warriors each face conference rivals that sit within a couple of games in the loss column. Those head-to-heads are more than just midseason calendar fillers; they are tiebreaker battles and emotional barometers.
Fans should circle games that feature direct seed competition: 4 vs 5, 6 vs 7, 8 vs 10. Those are the nights when every possession feels like May in the middle of winter. One hot shooting stretch can swing not just a game but the entire tone of a road trip. One botched defensive rebound can haunt a team when they look back at how they slipped a seed on the final weekend.
For now, the main takeaway is simple: the NBA Standings are a living, breathing drama. LeBron and the Lakers are making their push, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are trying to hold serve, and Stephen Curry keeps the Warriors relevant with every deep bomb. Jokic, Giannis and Tatum headline the MVP Race, while role players and injury replacements quietly swing outcomes at the margins.
If the last 24 hours are any indication, the gap between a top-four seed and a Play-In scramble will only get thinner. Buckle up, keep one eye on the live scores and box scores on NBA.com, and do not blink. The next wild momentum swing might already be on tonight’s schedule.
