NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers surge as Tatum’s Celtics, Curry’s Warriors feel the heat
24.01.2026 - 23:01:48
The NBA standings just tightened another notch, and the playoff picture looks a little different this morning. Between LeBron James pushing the Lakers up the West ladder, Jayson Tatum keeping the Celtics on top of the East, and Stephen Curry dragging the Warriors deeper into the Play-In fight, the league woke up to a fresh dose of drama and urgency.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Across the league, last night’s results flipped pressure onto teams that thought they had some breathing room. Contenders are jockeying for seeding, fringe squads are clinging to Play-In hopes, and every run, every possession, feels like it carries postseason weight.
West Coast spotlight: LeBron keeps the Lakers in the hunt
LeBron James once again played like a man refusing to waste a season. The Lakers leaned on their 39-year-old star in crunchtime, and he responded with a classic all-around line: scoring efficiently, attacking the rim, and orchestrating the offense to steady a game that easily could have slipped away. His impact didn’t just show up in the box score; it showed in the body language of the defense trying to contain him.
Alongside him, Anthony Davis anchored the paint with another brute-force Double-Double, controlling the glass and erasing drives at the rim. The Lakers’ defense tightened when it mattered, closing out on shooters and pushing the pace off turnovers. In a West where two losses can drop you from sixth to tenth, this win felt like more than just another W; it was a statement that this group still expects to be in the real playoff picture, not just sneaking through the back door of the Play-In.
After the game, the vibe from the locker room matched the urgency on the floor. The staff emphasized defense and tempo, and you could sense a recognition that every possession for the rest of the season is about positioning. This is not a team content to merely survive the regular season; they are quietly acting like a group that still believes it can make noise in May.
Eastern edge: Tatum’s Celtics hold their line at the top
On the other side of the country, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics continue to look like the team everyone else has to go through in the East. Even on nights when the offense is a bit choppy, their depth and defense keep them in control. Tatum’s scoring from all three levels, combined with his improved playmaking, has turned fourth quarters into his personal stage.
Boston’s starting five once again leaned into their versatility. Tatum and Jaylen Brown attacked mismatches, the guards spaced the floor and picked off passing lanes, and the bigs cleaned the glass. The game never quite reached playoff intensity, but there were flashes of that postseason feel when the Celtics turned up the pressure and went on crushing runs fueled by stops and transition looks.
The Celtics’ ability to stack wins now is building a cushion in the NBA standings that could prove decisive later. Homecourt advantage matters for a group that feeds off a loud TD Garden crowd, and the current pace keeps them on track to lock up one of the top two seeds in the East.
Warriors on the edge: Curry fighting to stay in the Play-In mix
Stephen Curry remains appointment viewing, but the Warriors’ margin for error is razor-thin. Last night was another chapter in a season-long grind: Curry bombed away from downtown, carrying stretches of the offense with deep threes and off-ball magic, yet Golden State still had to sweat out key late-game possessions.
The Warriors’ issue isn’t whether Curry can still drop 30-plus; it is whether the group around him can defend well enough and avoid the brutal 3-minute lapses that swing games against solid Western competition. They remain in that volatile Play-In zone where one hot week can lift them, but a short skid can wreck the season’s work.
Golden State’s veterans sounded the alarm in their postgame comments, pointing to defensive focus and rebounding as the swing factors. The message was clear: they know exactly where they sit and how quickly the Playoff picture can harden without them.
Current NBA standings: Top of the mountain and the Play-In chaos
The latest NBA standings reflect the growing separation between true contenders and teams just trying to stay alive. At the top, Boston continues to set the pace in the East, while heavyweight Western squads keep jockeying for homecourt. Meanwhile, the Play-In race on both sides is a traffic jam, with the Lakers and Warriors locked into a dogfight with several hungry mid-tier teams.
Here is a compact look at some of the key spots in both conferences (records indicative of current form, not final):
| East Rank | Team | Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | League-best pace | Holding steady at the top |
| 2 | Contender pack (e.g. Bucks tier) | Within a few games of BOS | Chasing homecourt |
| 7-10 | East Play-In mix | Clustered around .500 | Every night flips positions |
| West Rank | Team | Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Top West contender | Elite winning percentage | Chasing homecourt through West finals |
| 5-6 | Middle playoff seeds | A few games above .500 | Trying to avoid Play-In drop |
| 7-10 | Lakers, Warriors & company | Just above or below .500 | Pure survival mode for seeding |
That Play-In band is where the real nightly chaos lives. One road upset, one blown fourth-quarter lead, and teams can bounce from eighth to eleventh in 48 hours. It feels like a mini playoff series playing out across the entire final stretch of the schedule.
Player stats and last night’s top performers
Beyond the pure win–loss column, last night delivered a slate of eye-catching player stats that will echo through MVP debates and highlight reels.
LeBron’s line was the quintessential all-around star performance: big scoring totals, double-digit or near double-digit assists, and a relentless push in transition. He controlled tempo, hunted mismatches, and repeatedly punished smaller defenders in the post. It was the kind of night that fuels the argument that his impact still rivals players a decade younger.
Jayson Tatum once again filled the box score with a high-20s to low-30s scoring effort, strong rebounding from the wing, and secondary playmaking. His ability to get to his spots, even when defenses load up on him, continues to define Boston’s halfcourt offense. When he starts hitting pull-up threes and midrange fadeaways in rhythm, defenses look helpless.
Stephen Curry’s shooting numbers were predictably lethal from beyond the arc, with multiple makes from way beyond the line. His off-ball movement carved open the defense, freeing teammates even on possessions where he never touched the ball. The raw points matter, but the gravity may matter even more, pulling defenders out of the paint and opening driving lanes.
Role players also made their mark. Secondary scorers stepped up with efficient shooting nights, key three-pointers in crunchtime, and high-energy defense on the perimeter. A couple of bigs put up quiet but crucial Double-Doubles, sealing off the boards and setting those bruising screens that never make the highlights but win possessions.
MVP race and playoff picture: Who is separating?
The MVP race remains neck-and-neck, but nights like these keep certain names in bold. Tatum’s consistency on a top-seeded team, LeBron’s high-level play deep into his career, and Curry’s offensive fireworks are all baked into the conversation. The numbers tell part of the story: efficient scoring, strong on/off ratings, and elite Player Efficiency across long minutes.
Yet context matters just as much. Voters will look at how these stars shape their team’s record and seeding. Being the engine of a one-seed or a true contender weighs heavily in the MVP calculus, and every monster outing in a high-stakes matchup adds another argument.
From a playoff picture standpoint, the top tier seems relatively stable. Teams like the Celtics have built themselves a buffer that allows for the occasional off night without panic. It is the middle and lower seeds where the tension lives. The Lakers and Warriors are symbols of that volatility: proud franchises with legendary leaders that are living on the edge of the Play-In bracket.
For those squads, the margin is simple and brutal: a two-game winning streak can push you up a couple of seeds, while a two-game slide can have you staring at an early vacation. Coaching staffs are tightening rotations, leaning harder on star minutes, and treating late-January and February basketball like April warm-ups.
What’s next: Must-watch games and shifting momentum
The next few days feature exactly the kind of matchups that swing both seeding and narrative. Top teams in opposite conferences are set to collide in potential Finals previews, while mid-tier matchups carry direct tiebreaker implications in the standings.
Any upcoming showdown that features LeBron, Tatum, or Curry is basically a national event at this point, but the subplots matter just as much. Can the Lakers continue their defensive uptick on the road? Will the Celtics keep their focus against hungry underdogs trying to knock off the East’s measuring stick? Can the Warriors finally string together enough stops to turn Curry’s heroics into a real winning streak instead of nightly survival?
Every night from here on shapes the evolving NBA standings and the broader playoff picture. The race for MVP, the scramble for Play-In positioning, and the push for homecourt advantage are all running in parallel, each informed by the same 48 minutes that play out in packed arenas and in front of millions of fans.
If last night was any indication, the stretch run will be ruthless and wildly entertaining. Keep an eye on the box scores, dive into the player stats, and do not blink on these live scores, because the landscape can and will shift again before the weekend is over.
For fans, the assignment is simple: lock in. The standings are moving, the stars are surging, and the next wave of must-watch battles is already loading on the schedule.
