NBA Standings shake up: LeBron’s Lakers climb while Tatum’s Celtics hold the line
08.02.2026 - 13:09:30
The NBA standings just tightened another notch after a wild slate of games, with LeBron James driving the Lakers up the Western ladder while Jayson Tatum and the Celtics held firm near the top of the East. Between Luka Doncic piling up video-game numbers, Stephen Curry igniting from downtown and Nikola Jokic doing Nikola Jokic things, the playoff picture feels less like a table and more like a live wire.
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Across the league, last night’s action was defined by crunchtime shot-making and some quietly massive box scores that will loom large when we look back on this stretch. The race for seeding, individual awards and simple survival in the play-in chase is officially in overdrive.
Game recap: LeBron turns back the clock, Doncic lights up the scoreboard
LeBron James once again reminded everyone why his name still sits in every MVP Race conversation. In a physical, playoff-style clash, the Lakers leaned on their 39-year-old superstar to close out the fourth quarter. James carved up the defense in pick-and-roll, punished mismatches in the post and controlled the tempo in transition, stacking up a high-30s scoring night with strong rebounding and playmaking. The crowd felt every possession like it was late April, not early February.
Anthony Davis provided the interior backbone, anchoring the rim and cleaning the glass with a dominant double-double. But the defining stretch came in the final three minutes, when LeBron drilled a deep three from well beyond the arc and then followed with a drive-and-kick dime for a corner triple. The sequence flipped a one-possession game into a multi-possession cushion and effectively iced the win.
Over in the West’s other marquee matchup, Luka Doncic shredded coverages with his usual blend of craft and power. His box score looked like a custom MyPlayer build: mid-30s in points, double-digit assists and plenty of boards. He hunted switches, punished smaller guards down low and repeatedly found shooters spacing from the wings. At one point in the third quarter, Doncic scored or assisted on 15 straight points, turning a tight contest into a comfortable Mavericks lead.
The opposing coaching staff rotated defenders, showing drop coverage, blitzes and even a box-and-one look, but nothing really bothered him. As one assistant put it afterward, the strategy board basically became “live with tough twos and pray the threes miss.” On this night, they didn’t.
Celtics steady, Warriors streaky, Nuggets efficient
While the night in the West had chaos energy, Boston played with a quieter, more methodical dominance. Jayson Tatum set the tone early, attacking closeouts, getting to the free throw line and setting up teammates with quick reads. The Celtics’ defense suffocated dribble penetration, forcing tough pull-ups late in the shot clock and finishing possessions on the glass.
Tatum’s scoring was balanced by Jaylen Brown’s downhill pressure and a barrage of timely threes from the supporting cast. Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis controlled the paint on both ends, switching when needed and shutting off most secondary drives. It was the kind of mature, businesslike win that keeps the Celtics on the top shelf of the NBA standings and reinforces why they’re viewed as a title favorite.
In San Francisco, the Warriors rode another Steph Curry heater. Curry’s deep-range shooting warped the defense from the opening tip, with multiple defenders chasing him two steps beyond the three-point line. Even when the jumper cooled for a stretch, the gravity opened driving lanes for Andrew Wiggins and backdoor cuts for Klay Thompson. Golden State still had its share of lapses, but when Curry flares into one of those third-quarter flurries, the building tilts in their favor instantly.
Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets approached their matchup like a clinic. Jokic orchestrated from the elbows and the top of the key, picking apart every coverage with touch passes, backdoor dimes and soft floaters. His stat line was quintessential Jokic: around 25 points, a mountain of rebounds and double-digit assists on hyper-efficient shooting. Jamal Murray delivered in crunchtime with pull-up jumpers and drives, while Denver’s role players filled lanes and hit open corner threes.
Current NBA standings: movement at the top and in the play-in race
The combination of those results nudged the NBA standings in meaningful ways. Boston solidified its hold on a top spot in the East, while the Bucks, 76ers and a surging group of mid-tier teams jostled for position. Out West, Denver stayed glued to the upper echelon, the Thunder and Timberwolves kept pace and the Lakers inched closer to escaping the play-in mix.
Here’s a compact look at how the top of each conference and the critical play-in lines shape up, based on the latest official numbers from NBA.com and ESPN:
| East Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | Best-in-conference win percentage |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Firmly in top tier |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Within striking distance |
| 7 | Play-In Spot 1 | Tightly packed records |
| 10 | Play-In Cutoff | Separated by a few games |
| West Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | Top of the pack |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Neck-and-neck with #1 |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Within a few games |
| 8 | Los Angeles Lakers | On the edge of play-in |
| 10 | Final Play-In Team | Clustered with contenders |
Numbers will keep shifting nightly, but the contours are clear: Boston and Denver control their destiny at the top, while teams like the Lakers, Warriors and several Eastern wild cards are fighting not just for seeding, but for survival.
Player stats spotlight: from triple-doubles to cold spells
In the individual player stats department, the headliners were the usual suspects. Doncic stuffed the box score with another near triple-double, stacking high-end scoring with elite playmaking. Jokic came close to his own triple-double yet again, barely missing it due to a blowout-induced early exit. Both superstars continue to hover at or near the top of key advanced metrics, from PER to win shares, and they shape every possession in ways the raw numbers barely capture.
LeBron’s efficiency continues to defy age norms. His true shooting percentage and assist rate remain elite, and when he locks in defensively, the Lakers’ ceiling spikes dramatically. The coaching staff underscored that after the game, noting how his ability to quarterback both ends still changes everything. One assistant described his fourth-quarter stretch as “vintage LeBron with veteran control,” an apt summary of how he toggles between scorer and facilitator.
On the flip side, a couple of high-usage guards around the league struggled badly from the field last night, dragging down their teams’ offensive ratings. Missed pull-up threes led to long rebounds and transition chances the other way, the kind of live-ball mistakes that swing tight games in this era. In the box score, the lines look like simple off-nights. In context, they’re mini gut punches for teams already teetering near the play-in line.
MVP Race: Jokic, Doncic, Tatum, and the LeBron factor
The MVP Race remains a four-man conversation with a few loud honorable mentions. Jokic stays at or near the front thanks to his nightly double-double (or triple-double) production and Denver’s perch near the top of the West. When the Nuggets win and he posts monster efficiency, it is almost impossible to argue against his candidacy.
Doncic, though, keeps applying pressure. His scoring explosions and usage rate are off the charts, and his playmaking is the lifeblood of Dallas’ offense. When he posts those 30-plus point, double-digit assist lines in wins against direct Western rivals, it checks every box voters look for: volume, efficiency, impact and narrative.
Tatum’s case leans more on team success and two-way consistency. He may not always drop the most eye-popping single-game numbers, but he anchors one of the best records in the league and takes on tough defensive matchups. If the Celtics finish with the league’s best mark, his steady production and balanced stat line will be tough to overlook.
Then there is LeBron. At this stage, he is more of a storyline candidate than a statistical frontrunner, but nights like this keep his name in the conversation. If the Lakers surge up the NBA standings and his efficiency remains sky high, the veteran push for at least top-five MVP consideration will grow louder.
Injuries, roster tweaks and what they mean
Several teams navigated key absences, and that might be the most underrated subplot in how the standings are evolving. A top scorer sitting out with a nagging ankle, a rim protector shutting it down for rest, or a sixth man missing a week with a hamstring tweak can swing two or three games in a crowded race.
Coaches repeatedly emphasize the next-man-up mantra, but the reality is clear: when stars sit, the margin for error vanishes. Role players being thrust into bigger usage often see their efficiency tumble, and defenses can load up on the remaining threats. One head coach, asked about his team’s recent skid with a key starter out, put it bluntly: “We are asking guys to do just a little too much, and in this league that little bit adds up to losses.”
On the edges of the rotation, small roster tweaks, 10-day contracts and two-way players getting burn are shaping benches. Certain young wings are earning trust with solid defense and corner threes, while a few veterans are playing for their next deal every possession. These micro-battles will matter when playoff rotations shrink.
Playoff picture and what’s next on the schedule
Stepping back, the playoff picture feels more volatile than the raw records suggest. In the East, the Celtics hold the inside track to the top seed, with the Bucks and 76ers trying to keep pace. A short losing streak from any of them could open the door for a chase pack hungry for home-court advantage in the first round. In the West, Denver, Oklahoma City and Minnesota are locked in a three-way dance for seeding, while the Mavericks, Clippers, Lakers and Warriors jockey for position just below.
The next few days bring several must-watch clashes: potential conference finals previews, revenge games and direct showdowns between MVP candidates. A Celtics game against a top East rival will offer another measuring stick for Tatum’s crew. The Lakers and Warriors have another nationally televised matchup looming, with LeBron and Curry guaranteed to draw massive attention, especially with play-in tiebreakers and narrative weight on the line.
For fans tracking every twist of the NBA standings, this stretch is appointment viewing. The combination of live scores, daily lineup changes and star-level performances means the ladder can shift in a single night. If the recent form from LeBron, Tatum, Curry, Jokic and Doncic continues, the league is headed for a playoff race loaded with drama, stat-padding fireworks and more than a few heart-stopping finishes at the buzzer.
Clear your evenings, keep one eye on the box scores and another on the live broadcast. The next run of games could redefine seeding, rewrite award ballots and send a few bubble teams crashing out of the picture entirely.
