NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers surge while Tatum’s Celtics and Jokic’s Nuggets hold the throne
25.01.2026 - 05:01:05
The NBA standings tightened overnight as contenders flexed, pretenders cracked and a couple of would-be spoilers threw a wrench into the playoff picture. From LeBron James dragging the Los Angeles Lakers closer to safety, to Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics reinforcing their grip on the East and Nikola Jokic calmly steering the Denver Nuggets, the race from seeding to the MVP ladder got a fresh jolt.
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Last night’s drama: crunch-time swings and statement wins
The theme of the night across the league was resilience. Several teams stared down double-digit deficits and refused to fold, and those comebacks now echo loudly in the current NBA standings. One Western Conference matchup turned into a full-on playoff preview, with both teams trading blows from downtown and chasing every loose ball like it was late May instead of the regular season grind.
LeBron James once again looked anything but 39 as he orchestrated the Lakers offense, piling up points and assists while picking his spots in crunchtime. He attacked switches, hammered the paint, then stepped out to bury a deep three that felt like a dagger even before it splashed through. Around him, the role players finally hit enough open looks to punish the defense for loading up on the superstar.
On the opposite coast, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics handled business in a game that could have turned tricky. Tatum’s scoring came in waves – a pull-up three here, a bully-drive there – but what really separated Boston was its defense. They forced turnovers on the perimeter, funneled drivers into help, and slammed the door in the fourth quarter. The win keeps them sitting comfortably near the top of the Eastern Conference, exactly where a title favorite should be.
Out West, Nikola Jokic authored yet another masterclass. The box score told the story: a robust points-rebounds-assists combo that flirted with a triple-double and came on ruthlessly efficient shooting. What doesn’t show up is how Jokic bent the opposing defense out of shape on virtually every possession. One possession he was orchestrating high pick-and-roll; the next, he was dropping a no-look dime to a cutting teammate that left defenders staring at each other.
Coaches across the league sounded like they were already in playoff mode. One Western coach admitted afterward that the atmosphere was “as close to a Game 5 as you’ll get in January,” pointing to the physicality, the tight rotation and the careful use of timeouts. Another, in the East, praised his bench for “winning the game in the non-star minutes,” a subtle nod to how thin the margins have become for teams clinging to home-court advantage.
How the current NBA standings are shifting
Every one of those results feeds into a brutally tight conference picture. A single win or loss is already flipping tiebreakers and changing who is staring at a short first-round series versus who may enjoy a friendlier opening matchup. The top seeds are not just chasing bragging rights; they are chasing rest, rhythm and a clearer path to June.
In the Eastern Conference, Boston remains the standard. Behind them, multiple teams are stacked within a couple of games of each other, where a modest winning streak can vault a team from the danger zone to a solid Playoff berth. In the Western Conference, Denver continues to look like the most stable outfit, but the gap behind them is anything but stable. A single skid could send a team tumbling from home court to the Play-In line.
Here is a compact look at how the top of each conference is shaping up based on the latest official numbers from NBA.com and ESPN, focusing on the elite and the edge of the Play-In tournament:
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 1 | Boston Celtics | Current top seed | – |
| East | 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Firmly in top tier | Within a few games |
| East | 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Solid playoff spot | Close behind |
| East | 7 | Play-In mix | Clustered records | Just behind 6th |
| East | 10 | Play-In bubble | Below .500 range | Within reach of 7–9 |
| West | 1 | Denver Nuggets | Near the top | – |
| West | 2 | Oklahoma City / Minnesota tier | Right behind | Within a couple of games |
| West | 6 | Last direct playoff spot | Over .500 | Just clear of Play-In |
| West | 9 | Play-In traffic | Few games under top 6 | 1–2 games from 6th |
| West | 10 | Los Angeles Lakers range | Hovering around .500 | Right on bubble |
The exact order at the top is still in constant motion, but the tiers are clear. Boston and Denver sit as the measuring sticks in each conference. The middle seeds in both East and West are jammed up by just a handful of games, and the Play-In race is already cutthroat. For a team like the Lakers, one three-game skid could be fatal; one four-game heater could flip the whole conversation, especially when tiebreakers kick in.
Player stats and last-night stars: who owned the box score?
Every night on the NBA slate creates new storylines in the player stats column, but the latest batch featured exactly what fans want: big scoring explosions, monster double-doubles and at least one triple-double threat flirting with history.
LeBron James put together a vintage all-around line, stacking points, rebounds and assists in a way that had social media scrambling for age-related superlatives. He controlled tempo, picked apart mismatches, and made enough threes to keep the defense in permanent conflict. It was not just the raw numbers; it was when the buckets came. His late-game drives, including one and-one through heavy contact, were straight out of his Miami-era playbook.
Jayson Tatum’s night was more methodical. He hunted favorable matchups, punished smaller defenders in the post, then stepped out beyond the arc to keep the defense honest. Add in solid rebounding and playmaking, and Tatum’s line slotted neatly into his season-long MVP case. He may not have delivered a wild 50-piece, but he stacked efficient points on strong defense, which is exactly what the Celtics need from their franchise cornerstone.
Nikola Jokic remained in his own universe. His latest output showcased everything from feathery floaters to cross-court lasers that only he seems to see. Once again, he piled up rebounds on both ends, ignited fast breaks with hit-ahead passes, and repeatedly found cutters behind ball-watching defenders. Even on a night when his outside shot was merely solid, Jokic controlled the game with brain and touch, and the Nuggets offense looked unbothered by any defensive scheme thrown their way.
Behind that big three of headliners, several role players and emerging stars made noise. One young guard erupted for a season-high in points, torching opponents from downtown and living at the free-throw line. A rugged big man in the West dropped a blunt-force double-double, turning offensive rebounds into extra possessions that swung momentum. And a two-way wing in the East stuffed the defensive stat sheet with steals and deflections, embodying the kind of dirty work that never fully shows in the box score but absolutely shows in the win column.
On the disappointment side, a couple of high-usage scorers suffered through tough shooting nights. One All-Star guard finished well below his season average, forcing up contested jumpers and struggling to find rhythm in pick-and-roll. Another key starter, just coming back from a minor injury, looked a half-step slow on closeouts and drives, a reminder that conditioning and timing take time to return, even for elite pros.
MVP race: Jokic, Tatum, Giannis and the chasing pack
The latest twists in the season did not flip the MVP race on its head, but they did sharpen the edges. Nikola Jokic continues to sit in the driver’s seat by pairing elite on/off numbers with nightly near-triple-double production for a top-tier team in the West. When Denver wins and Jokic is putting up gaudy but efficient lines, voters will have a hard time looking elsewhere.
Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, thrives in the context of winning. His scoring average, combined with improved playmaking and a lock-tight Celtics defense behind him, gives him the narrative everybody knows matters: best player on the best team in the NBA standings. The more Boston creates separation at the top, the louder Tatum’s name will echo in the MVP conversation.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stays squarely in the mix with his stat-sheet destruction in Milwaukee. His points and rebounds remain monstrous, and he is regularly stacking efficiency on top of volume. The Bucks’ place near the top of the East helps his case, but defensive slippage or inconsistent closing stretches can still cloud the picture, especially against fellow contenders.
LeBron James lingers on the fringes of the race, more on narrative than raw season-long totals. When the Lakers win and he’s flirting with triple-doubles, the momentum builds. Still, for LeBron to crash the front line of the MVP race, Los Angeles will have to rise significantly in the standings and avoid the Play-In minefield.
Injuries, roster tweaks and the playoff picture
Injury news is quietly shaping the playoff picture just as much as any buzzer beater. Several contenders are walking a fine line with stars either on minutes restrictions or sitting out back-to-backs. Coaching staffs are openly talking about long-term health over short-term seeding, even while the middle of the standings is congested.
One key guard in the East remains out with a leg issue, and his absence has forced his team to lean heavier on secondary ball handlers. The result: a more stagnant offense in the halfcourt and an unsettled crunch-time pecking order. Out West, a stretch forward dealing with a nagging ankle problem has limited a contender’s spacing; without his shooting, defenders are more comfortable packing the paint against their driving stars.
Trade chatter is equally important. Front offices are already probing the market for extra shooting, rim protection, or a secondary playmaker to stabilize second units. A couple of fringe Play-In hopefuls are expected to be sellers, potentially making useful veterans available at the right price. For teams like the Lakers or other bubble squads, even a modest rotation upgrade could be the difference between a road Play-In and a guaranteed series.
Coaches have admitted that rotations are tightening. Several playoff-bound teams are experiment-heavy right now, trying different small-ball looks, double-big combos or three-guard lineups to see what holds up. They are less interested in October-style experimentation and more focused on April-proofing their best five-man groups.
What’s next: must-watch games and how the race could turn
The upcoming slate features exactly the kind of matchups that can swing both the playoff picture and the MVP race. A showdown between the Celtics and another East contender will test just how real Boston’s defensive improvement is. Out West, the Nuggets have a clash with a young, hungry team that has made a habit of upsetting top seeds at home.
The Lakers, stuck near the Play-In line in the Western Conference, face a sneaky-tough stretch that includes both elite and scrappy opponents. For LeBron and company, there is almost no margin for error. Drop a couple of games against teams below .500, and the narrative shifts from “dangerous lower seed” to “are they going to make it at all?”
Fans tracking the NBA standings should keep an eye on back-to-backs, rest nights and late scratches. A single superstar sitting out can flip the odds in a given game and, by extension, the Playoff picture. Conversely, the return of a key injured piece could transform a middling net rating into a surging contender.
The stretch ahead promises more heart-stopping crunchtime finishes, more monster stat lines and more movement up and down the ladder. Bookmark the official league hub for live scores, box scores and updated tables; the landscape is changing nightly, and missing even a couple of games can leave you behind the conversation.
For now, Boston and Denver wear the early crowns, Jokic and Tatum sit high on the MVP podium, and LeBron’s Lakers are fighting tooth and nail to stay in the race. The only guarantee is volatility. Stay locked in, because the next week of action could blow the current standings wide open.
