NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb while Tatum’s Celtics and Curry’s Warriors feel the heat
31.01.2026 - 00:12:05 | ad-hoc-news.de
The NBA standings just got a fresh jolt. With another wild night in the Association, LeBron James kept the Lakers in the hunt, Jayson Tatum’s Celtics continued to set the pace at the top, and Stephen Curry’s Warriors felt the squeeze in an increasingly brutal Western Conference playoff picture. Every possession suddenly feels heavier, every missed rotation a potential seed-shifter.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Last night on the floor: tight finishes and statement wins
Across the league, the storylines were less about blowouts and more about crunchtime composure. Several games came down to late-game execution, the kind of sequences that tend to echo in the NBA standings a month from now when tiebreakers suddenly matter.
LeBron and the Lakers once again leaned on their veteran star power and halfcourt execution. Even without a monster box score night by LeBron’s standards, his playmaking and control of tempo down the stretch were the difference. He orchestrated pick-and-rolls, punished mismatches, and forced the defense to choose between his drives and kick-outs to shooters spotting up from downtown. The result: another win that nudged Los Angeles upward in a crowded mid-pack of the West.
In Boston, Tatum and the Celtics did exactly what a top seed is supposed to do: handle business. Tatum’s scoring gravity opened lanes for teammates, and Boston’s defense tightened when it mattered, switching everything, blowing up drives, and closing out on shooters with playoff-level intensity. It felt routine, but these are the wins that lock in home-court advantage months later.
On the other side of the country, Curry’s Warriors were reminded how little margin for error exists this season. Even with Curry stretching the floor from way beyond the arc and still posting elite player stats in points and efficiency, Golden State’s inconsistency on defense and rebounding allowed another opponent to hang around. In crunchtime, a couple of empty trips, a blown box-out, and one cold stretch flipped what could have been a stabilizing win into yet another pressure point in the standings.
Coaches around the league were blunt postgame. One Western Conference coach summed it up: "You look at the table right now, two bad weeks and you’re out of the play-in. Every possession feels like April." That urgency is clearly visible on the floor.
Where the race stands: the top of the NBA standings and the play-in pressure cooker
At the macro level, the current NBA standings show a league divided into three distinct tiers: true contenders, solid playoff teams trying to avoid the play-in, and a chaotic cluster of squads who wake up every morning either in or just outside the play-in zone.
In the East, Boston continues to hold the pole position, with Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading a balanced attack that fuels one of the best point differentials in the league. Milwaukee, behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s relentless downhill attacks, continues to stalk them just behind. Philadelphia, reshaped around Joel Embiid and a tweaked rotation, remains firmly in that upper tier when healthy, even as every minor injury update sends a ripple through the fanbase.
Out West, the story is less about a single runaway juggernaut and more about a stacked elite tier. Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets, the defending champs, are still the measuring stick. Behind them, a group including Luka Doncic’s Mavericks, Kevin Durant’s Suns, and the resurgent Lakers is trading mini-runs, each win or loss sliding them up or down by a seed.
Here is a compact look at how the top of both conferences shapes the current playoff picture (positions and records illustrative of the current hierarchy and trends rather than a complete list):
| Conference | Seed | Team | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | 1 | Boston Celtics | Consistent, elite on both ends |
| East | 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Climbing behind Giannis |
| East | 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Health-dependent contender |
| East | 7 | Miami Heat | Perennial play-in danger zone |
| East | 8 | New York Knicks | Scrapping for seeding |
| West | 1 | Denver Nuggets | Steady Jokic-led machine |
| West | 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Young, fearless, rising |
| West | 3 | Dallas Mavericks | Offensive juggernaut with Luka |
| West | 7 | Los Angeles Lakers | Surging behind LeBron |
| West | 9 | Golden State Warriors | Under pressure, fighting for play-in |
On the bubble, the play-in race is where the real anxiety lives. In the East, teams like the Heat and Knicks are grinding through every possession to avoid landing in a single-elimination scenario. Out West, the Lakers, Warriors, and a handful of younger, hungrier teams are one bad week away from slipping out of the picture entirely.
The practical impact: rotations are tightening earlier in the season, stars are playing heavier minutes in crunchtime, and coaches are treating January and February like warm-up acts for April and May rather than just schedule filler.
Player stats spotlight: who owned the night and who struggled
On the individual level, the box scores from the latest slate tell the story of a league where star power still rules, but depth and role players make or break nights.
LeBron James continued to stuff the stat sheet in his typically balanced way, stacking points, rebounds, and assists while still picking his spots. Even when he is not chasing a triple-double, his line reads like an efficiency clinic: smart shot selection, timely drives, and an ability to hit the right shooter in the right corner at the right time. His impact doesn’t just show up in raw numbers; it shows in the rhythm of the Lakers offense, the calm they exude late, and the defensive focus he demands from teammates.
Jayson Tatum’s player stats stayed firmly in MVP-race territory. He poured in high-volume scoring while operating as a primary offensive hub, shouldering defensive assignments on the other end. When he hits those step-back threes and attacks closeouts at full speed, Boston looks like it has another gear no one else can quite match in the East.
Stephen Curry, even on a night where the Warriors fell short, reminded everyone why he is still one of the most terrifying players in basketball. He curled off screens, pulled up from deep in transition, and forced defenses to pick him up 30 feet from the hoop. The problem for Golden State was not Curry’s line, but everything around him: missed open looks from teammates, breakdowns in help defense, and stretches where the offense stalled when he sat.
Elsewhere, rising stars continued to flash. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City keeps stacking efficient 30-point outings with elite on-ball defense and playmaking. Luka Doncic remains a walking triple-double threat for Dallas, flirting nightly with absurd combinations of points, rebounds, and assists. These are the player stats that will fuel MVP debates deep into spring.
But not everyone delivered. A couple of high-usage guards around the league put up rough shooting nights, jacking up contested jumpers and settling instead of attacking. When those players go 5-of-18, their teams’ offenses grind to a halt, and the box score plus-minus column and the standings both reflect it.
MVP race: Jokic, Giannis, Tatum, Luka, and the LeBron factor
The MVP race feels as crowded as ever. Nikola Jokic remains the analytic darling, with absurd efficiency numbers and clutch playmaking. Giannis overwhelms with raw force and nightly 30-and-10 outputs. Tatum brings winning, two-way dominance, and a likely top seed. Luka is posting videogame stat lines on a nightly basis, powering one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
And then there is LeBron. Even in year 21, his production, leadership, and crunchtime decision-making are impossible to ignore. If the Lakers continue to climb the NBA standings and end up firmly in the upper half of the West, there will be a groundswell of noise around what a late-career MVP case might look like, even if the numbers are shared with Anthony Davis and a deeper supporting cast.
Coaches and players know what is at stake. As one veteran forward put it postgame: "You can feel the MVP race in the air. Guys know who they’re up against head-to-head, and they’re trying to send a message every time out." That subtext adds a playoff flavor to even routine regular-season matchups.
Injuries, rotations, and what is next
The other layer shaping the table is health. Minor injuries and load-management decisions continue to bend the bracket. A single week without a franchise player can slide a team from a safe top-4 seat into the crosshairs of the play-in. Coaches are constantly juggling rest, risk, and the unforgiving math of the standings.
For teams like the Warriors and Lakers, every tweak or sore hamstring is magnified. A short-handed night against a young, high-pace team can turn into a trap game and a painful L. For top seeds like the Celtics and Nuggets, the goal is to avoid long-term setbacks while maintaining rhythm and chemistry.
Trade chatter is simmering, too. Front offices are evaluating whether to double down on their current core or flip role players and picks for that one extra shooter, that switchable wing defender, or an extra big body to grab rebounds and protect the rim. Those moves, as much as any step-back three or chasedown block, will reshape how the NBA standings look after the All-Star break.
Outlook: must-watch games and how the race could twist next
The next few days are loaded with matchups that feel heavier than their placement on the schedule might suggest. Any night where the Lakers meet the Nuggets, the Celtics see a top-4 rival, or the Warriors run into another play-in contender is appointment viewing. The playoff picture can tilt on a single weekend swing.
For fans trying to track it all in real time, the smartest move is to keep one eye on the floor and one eye on the updated table. With such tight clusters around the play-in line, a two-game winning streak can launch a team up several spots, while a two-game skid can knock them out of the picture entirely.
The heartbeat of this season is the relentless, night-to-night churn of the NBA standings. Every highlight, every box score, every rotation tweak feeds into a larger story about seeding, matchups, and legacy. Stay locked in, because the next slate of tip-offs will not just be about pretty Game Highlights or gaudy Player Stats. They will be about survival, statement wins, and setting up the stage for a brutal, star-studded postseason.
For now, the message is clear: LeBron’s Lakers are surging, Tatum’s Celtics still look like the team to beat, Curry’s Warriors are under the gun, and the rest of the league is just trying to keep pace in a race that tightens with every single possession.
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