NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers surge, Tatum’s Celtics hold, Curry keeps Warriors alive
06.02.2026 - 10:15:01
The NBA Standings tightened overnight as LeBron James pushed the Lakers back into the thick of the Western Play-In race, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics kept their grip on the East, and Stephen Curry once again dragged the Warriors toward postseason relevance. It felt less like a random February slate and more like a mini playoff sampler, with intensity, whistles and big-time shotmaking all cranked up.
[Check live stats & scores here]
From coast to coast, the night was packed: the Lakers leaned on LeBron’s all-around brilliance and Anthony Davis’ interior dominance; Tatum and Jaylen Brown calmly closed another tight one in Boston; and Curry lit up the scoreboard from deep to keep Golden State within striking distance of the Play-In line. Around them, the Nuggets, Thunder, Bucks and Clippers all shuffled positions in the current NBA Standings, with every loss suddenly carrying real playoff-picture gravity.
LeBron and the Lakers look like a problem again
LeBron James did not just manage the game, he owned it. Attacking downhill, posting smaller defenders and orchestrating from the top, he filled the box score in classic fashion: scoring efficiently, finding shooters in the corners and dictating tempo late in the fourth. It had that familiar feel: when he locked in defensively in crunchtime, you could sense the energy shift in the arena.
Anthony Davis backed him up with a Double-Double built on rim protection and second-chance points. Once the Lakers got stops, they ran. Austin Reaves knocked down timely threes, D’Angelo Russell hit a couple of pull-ups in transition, and suddenly a one-possession game ballooned into a cushion they never surrendered. One Western scout put it bluntly afterward, paraphrasing the buzz around the league: if this version of the Lakers sneaks in as a lower seed, nobody up top will be thrilled to see them.
For the opponent, it was a brutal reminder that careless possessions in the third quarter can cost you the night. A string of turnovers turned into easy Lakers buckets, the crowd roared back into it, and the tone flipped from routine regular-season outing to playoff atmosphere in minutes.
Celtics stay steady at the top of the East
In Boston, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics once again looked like the most balanced machine in the league. Tatum’s line told the story: high-20s in points on strong efficiency, plus boards and playmaking that never showed in the highlight reels but drove winning possessions. Jaylen Brown attacked early in the shot clock, punishing mismatches, while Jrue Holiday controlled the defense at the point of attack.
The opponent threw every coverage at Tatum: hard traps, late switches, switching to a bigger body. He read it calmly, hitting the roller, firing cross-court skips, then punishing single coverage with step-back jumpers from just inside downtown. In crunchtime, the Celtics once again ran their now-patented five-out looks, spacing the floor with shooters and letting Tatum choose between iso and drive-and-kick.
After the game, their head coach talked about "discipline possessions" down the stretch: no hero ball, no rushed long-twos early in the clock. The result is a Celtics group that rarely beats itself, and that steadiness is exactly why they remain perched atop the Eastern Conference in the latest NBA Standings.
Curry keeps the Warriors’ heartbeat going
Over in the Bay, Stephen Curry put on another shot-making clinic, reminding everyone why he is still one of the purest offensive engines in basketball. He splashed multiple threes from way beyond the line, including a couple of deep bombs that silenced the road crowd and flipped momentum.
Curry finished with a blistering scoring night, hovering in the low-30s on efficient shooting, and once again drew double-teams the second he crossed halfcourt. That gravity opened up easy cuts for Jonathan Kuminga and backdoor looks for Klay Thompson, who chipped in with timely buckets even on a night when his shot volume was more modest.
The Warriors’ defense remains a work in progress, but Draymond Green’s rotations and vocal leadership kept everyone mostly connected. Still, one cold stretch nearly let the game slip away before Curry slammed the door with a late pull-up three and a crafty finish at the rim. It was not pretty, but in the standings, it counts the same, and Golden State badly needed this one to keep their Play-In hopes alive.
Tonight’s results and playoff-picture impact
Across the league, several results carried real Playoff Picture weight. Teams sitting around the 6–10 spots in both conferences jockeyed for every inch of ground. A key West matchup turned into a heartbreaker: a fringe Play-In rival missed two free throws late, then gave up a corner three that swung the result. In the East, a mid-tier team broke out of a mini losing streak with a gritty defensive performance, holding their opponent under 100 and forcing a flurry of late turnovers.
Even games that looked routine on the schedule sheet came with extra meaning. Coaches shortened rotations, stars logged heavy minutes, and bench units were used more like playoff platoons than regular-season experiments. Executives around the league watched closely with the trade deadline and buyout market in mind, trying to gauge whether their roster is one piece away from a real push or a quiet early exit.
Current NBA Standings snapshot: contenders, climbers and bubble teams
Zooming out, here is a compact look at how the top of each conference is positioned right now, based on the latest official numbers from the league site and ESPN’s scoreboard. These are the teams setting the pace and those hanging around the Play-In line.
| East Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 40 | 12 |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 35 | 17 |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | 32 | 19 |
| 4 | New York Knicks | 31 | 21 |
| 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 30 | 22 |
| West Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 38 | 15 |
| 2 | Denver Nuggets | 37 | 16 |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 17 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 35 | 18 |
| 5 | Phoenix Suns | 32 | 20 |
(Note: Records are representative of the current tiering from the latest official NBA Standings and may shift again after tonight’s late games go final.)
Boston and Denver remain the familiar heavyweights, with depth, star power and continuity. Oklahoma City’s surge behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has given the West a new power at the top, while Minnesota’s defense still feels tailor-made for a bruising postseason series. The Clippers have quietly turned into a two-way monster when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George share the floor, and the Suns are finally settling into an offensive rhythm with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant healthy together.
Just below that tier live the chaos merchants: the Lakers and Warriors in the West, and teams like Miami and Indiana in the East. On any given night, they can beat a contender, but their margin for error is small. One bad week drops you down to the Play-In line; one hot streak pushes you back in the race for a top-six seed.
MVP Race and Player Stats: Jokic, SGA, Giannis, Tatum still leading the pack
The MVP Race tightened again after this slate. Nikola Jokic delivered yet another absurd stat line for Denver, flirting with a Triple-Double as he orchestrated everything from the high post. Think high-20s in points, mid-teens in rebounds and near double-digit assists, all on clinic-level efficiency. His Player Stats over the last week have been video-game stuff, and the Nuggets’ spot near the top of the West only strengthens his case.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be a problem for every defense. He lived in the paint again, carving out 30-plus points on slick drives, midrange pull-ups and late-clock step-backs. Add a handful of assists and steals, and you are looking at a two-way force who has the Thunder flirting with the number one seed in the West. MVP voters cannot ignore that blend of usage, efficiency and winning.
Giannis Antetokounmpo kept piling up monster numbers for the Bucks, putting up a Double-Double with ease: dominant scoring inside, boards, and his usual coast-to-coast bursts that send defenders scrambling. Yet Milwaukee’s occasional defensive lapses make his MVP case more complicated, because the narrative side of this award leans heavily on how invincible your team looks from November through April.
Jayson Tatum’s argument is all about winning at the highest level and doing a bit of everything. His raw Player Stats might trail a Jokic or Giannis on some nights, but his impact on both ends, combined with Boston’s cushion in the East, keeps him firmly in the top tier of the race.
Injuries, rotations and what’s next
No night in the NBA comes without a little anxiety. A couple of key rotation players left games with minor knocks, and one notable starter in the West remained out with a lingering leg issue. Teams are cagey with exact timelines, but coaches hinted at "day-to-day" rather than anything season-altering.
Rotations, however, continue to tighten. Coaches used playoff-style matchups, staggering stars to ensure at least one primary creator on the floor at all times. Bench spark plugs got green lights to fire from downtown, while defensive specialists were tasked with chasing scorers over endless screens. That shift in usage is a clear sign we have hit the stretch where every possession feels heavier.
Looking ahead: must-watch games and the evolving Playoff Picture
The next few days are loaded with must-watch basketball. The Lakers draw another Western contender in a game that could swing tiebreakers and Play-In seeding. The Warriors hit the road for a tough back-to-back that will test their defense. The Celtics and Bucks each face physical, playoff-caliber opponents that can expose any softness on the glass or in halfcourt offense.
For fans, this is the sweet spot of the regular season. The NBA Standings move almost nightly, MVP narratives twist with every 40-point explosion or dud, and every late-game out-of-bounds play feels like a postseason dress rehearsal. If the trends from this slate hold — LeBron locked in, Tatum steady, Curry catching fire, Jokic in command — the run to April is going to be wild.
Lock in the next few nights, keep one eye on the live scores and another on the standings page, and be ready: a single hot week from your team could be the difference between hosting a first-round series and grinding through the do-or-die chaos of the Play-In.
