NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb while Tatum’s Celtics hold firm at the top
07.02.2026 - 04:28:47
The NBA standings are shifting again, and the race feels more like April than February. At the top, Jayson Tatum’s Boston Celtics keep setting the pace, while LeBron James has the Los Angeles Lakers charging up the Western ladder. Between Steph Curry bombing from downtown, Nikola Jokic stacking triple-double lines and Luka Doncic stuffing box scores, the league’s pecking order is getting louder every single night.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Last night’s drama: contenders flex, pretenders fade
Across the league, contenders did exactly what contenders are supposed to do: close out tight games and pile up statement wins. The Celtics once again leaned on Tatum’s two-way brilliance, locking down defensively in crunchtime and looking every bit like the most balanced roster in the NBA. Every possession felt deliberate, every defensive switch crisp, the kind of detail that usually does not show up fully in the raw NBA standings but absolutely decides seeding in April.
In the West, LeBron’s Lakers played like a group that finally understands the urgency of the moment. Anthony Davis patrolled the paint, swallowing drives and owning the glass, while LeBron orchestrated the halfcourt like a point center. When the pace ratcheted up, the Lakers ran off misses, turning defense into easy buckets, the exact identity this group needs to stay out of the Play-In picture and punch a direct Playoff ticket.
Down the coast, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors reminded everyone that, as long as No. 30 is on the floor, they are never fully out of any game or any race. Curry rained threes from deep, bending the defense from well beyond the arc, and forced constant traps that freed up his teammates. Even in a season where Golden State has flirted with the lower half of the conference, nights like this keep them within striking distance of the Play-In line.
And then there is Luka Doncic, who continues to play the NBA on expert mode. He controlled pace, bullied smaller defenders in the post, and picked apart help coverages with cross-court lasers. When he is in rhythm, every possession feels like a mismatch, no matter who is guarding him. The Mavericks’ margin for error is slim, but his usage and production keep them firmly in the conversation.
After the games wrapped, the storylines were familiar: veteran stars refusing to age out of title contention, young cores trying to prove they belong, and several bubble teams staring at each other across the Play-In chasm, knowing one bad week can torpedo months of solid work.
How the current NBA standings stack up
Zooming out from the nightly chaos, the conference picture tells a clear story: Boston is still the standard in the East, Denver and a handful of Western heavyweights are jostling for the top seed, and everyone else is fighting for breathing room. Here is a compact look at how the top of each conference and the crowded Play-In tier are shaping the playoff picture right now.
| East Rank | Team | W | L | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | — | — | Holding top spot |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | — | — | Chasing hard |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | — | — | Embiid-dependent |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | — | — | Surging |
| 5 | New York Knicks | — | — | Physical edge |
| 7 | Miami Heat | — | — | Play-In danger |
| 8 | Indiana Pacers | — | — | Offense-first |
| 9 | Atlanta Hawks | — | — | On the bubble |
| 10 | Chicago Bulls | — | — | Clinging on |
In the East, Boston’s balance on both ends, Milwaukee’s top-tier star duo and Philadelphia’s ceiling when Joel Embiid is healthy still frame the race at the top. The Cavaliers have quietly climbed, defending at a top level and finding more offensive rhythm, while the Knicks lean on physicality, rebounding and a relentless halfcourt approach that makes every regular-season game feel like a slugfest.
| West Rank | Team | W | L | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | — | — | Jokic in control |
| 2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | — | — | Elite defense |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | — | — | Young and fearless |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | — | — | Veteran surge |
| 5 | Phoenix Suns | — | — | Star power |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | — | — | Doncic-driven |
| 8 | Los Angeles Lakers | — | — | Climbing |
| 9 | Golden State Warriors | — | — | In the mix |
| 10 | New Orleans Pelicans | — | — | Physical threat |
Denver’s grip at or near the top is all about Jokic controlling every possession. Minnesota’s jump is powered by a suffocating defense that turns the paint into a no-fly zone. Oklahoma City, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, looks like the future arriving early, while the Clippers and Suns have gone on veteran-powered runs to stabilize themselves firmly above the Play-In mess. Below them, Dallas, the Lakers, the Warriors and the Pelicans are separated by slim margins, where a two-game swing can mean homecourt or a single-elimination Play-In trip.
Player stats that moved the needle: from MVP race to role-player gems
Any check of the current NBA standings has to live alongside the individual dominance that defines this season. The MVP race is a traffic jam of giant stat lines. Nikola Jokic has been the league’s metronome, putting up nightly triple-double threats with high-efficiency scoring, elite playmaking and underrated defense in space. When he records something like 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists on better than 55 percent shooting, it feels routine, which might be the strongest argument for his value.
On the coasts, Jayson Tatum and LeBron James continue to author their own cases. Tatum’s scoring versatility — step-back threes, strong drives, mid-post turnarounds — paired with improved playmaking and defense positions him as the best player on the team with the league’s top record. LeBron, deep into his 30s, is still attacking the rim, stretching the floor and running the Lakers offense like a giant point guard. When he posts a near triple-double line with efficient shooting, it is not just nostalgic; it is directly moving the standings needle.
Luka Doncic remains a usage monster, pouring in high-30s scoring with double-digit assists on many nights. His Player Stats tell the story: massive point totals, heavy minutes, and a constant stream of pick-and-roll reads that keep the Mavericks offense among the most dangerous in crunch time. The question is whether his workload is sustainable come playoff time, especially if the supporting cast does not consistently knock down shots.
Then there is Steph Curry, whose gravity might still be the single most unique force in the league. Even on nights when his raw numbers are slightly down, the attention he draws opens up driving lanes, backdoor cuts and offensive rebounds. When he gets hot and puts up 8 or 9 threes, the entire building knows it instantly; it feels like a Playoff game in January or February, and it often drags Golden State back into games they have no business winning.
Beyond the headliners, role players and emerging stars are quietly determining outcomes. A timely Double-Double from a rugged big on the glass, a bench guard hitting corner threes and hounding opposing ballhandlers, or a versatile wing switching 1-through-4 without fouling — those contributions do not always dominate the box score, but they absolutely define the margins that separate the 5-seed from the Play-In line.
Injuries, rotations and the shifting playoff picture
Every season, injuries and rotation tweaks turn into hidden earthquakes underneath the NBA standings. One star’s absence can flip a contender into survival mode overnight. Coaching staffs are constantly testing combinations, searching for lineups that can hold up in Playoff halfcourt slugfests without sacrificing regular-season wins. That means some nights, a coach lives with a young player’s mistakes to build long-term confidence; other nights, the rotation shrinks to an eight-man playoff look just to secure a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker.
For teams in the middle tier — squads like the Lakers, Mavericks, Heat or Pacers — even a short-term injury to a primary creator completely recalibrates expectations. Suddenly, the offense gets more static, Live Scores stop spiking into the 120s, and every possession feels heavier. Coaches respond by leaning into defense, trying to grind out 104-101 wins rather than trading haymakers in shootouts.
Front offices, meanwhile, have one eye on the current standings and another on the trade and buyout markets. A well-timed move for a stretch big or a two-way wing can be the difference between sneaking into the 8-seed or kicking the door down at 5 or 6. The Playoff Picture is unforgiving; one soft matchup in the first round can open a path to a conference finals run, while drawing a buzzsaw like Denver or Boston early can make a 50-win season feel like a failure.
MVP race snapshot: who owns the narrative right now?
The MVP Race is as crowded as it has been in years, and the narratives are layered on top of the numbers. Jokic has the advanced metrics. Tatum has the best-team argument. Luka has the usage and highlight-reel insanity. LeBron and Curry carry the nostalgia and the “still doing this?” shock factor. Each of them has put together individual nights that feel historic, whether it is a 40-point triple-double, a 10-three explosion, or a 50-piece in a road arena that goes dead silent with every bucket.
Voters will eventually have to weigh elite Player Stats against team success. If Boston finishes comfortably atop the standings and Tatum maintains his two-way impact, that matters. If Denver carves out a top seed and Jokic’s efficiency remains otherworldly, that matters too. Should Dallas or the Lakers surge into the top four and their stars keep posting video-game lines, the case becomes louder. This is shaping up to be one of those seasons where the MVP decision will probably swing on a handful of high-profile national TV games down the stretch.
What to watch next: must-see clashes on deck
Looking ahead, the schedule is littered with matchups that could tilt the NBA standings in subtle but real ways. Heavyweight showdowns between Boston and Milwaukee, Denver and Minnesota, or the Suns and Clippers will not just be about bragging rights; they will influence tiebreakers and send clear messages about who owns the matchup edges when the Playoffs start.
The Lakers facing the Warriors always deserves national attention, with LeBron and Curry renewing a rivalry that helped define the last decade of basketball. Out East, the Knicks trying to bully the 76ers or Cavs with physical defense and relentless rebounding feels like a mini Playoff preview, especially if Embiid or key rim protectors are less than 100 percent.
For fans tracking the Play-In line, every head-to-head between teams sitting 7-through-11 in either conference is essentially a must-win. Live Scores in those games swing wildly in the second half, benches stand for entire quarters, and every loose ball looks like a Game 7 scramble. That urgency is already here, even if the calendar insists this is still regular season basketball.
As the season grinds on, expect the NBA standings to keep lurching, a constant tug-of-war between rest and urgency, between long-term health and short-term seeding. Stars will chase MVP-level nights, role players will steal a game or two with out-of-body shooting performances, and fan bases will live and die with every scoreboard update.
If this week was any indication, the gap between contender, dark horse and bubble team is razor-thin. Stay tuned for the next slate of national TV clashes, keep one eye on the nightly highlights and another on the evolving playoff picture, and do not blink. In this league, one wild weekend can rewrite the entire seeding board.
