NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers surge while Tatum’s Celtics hold the top spot
07.02.2026 - 23:43:53
The NBA Standings moved again after last night’s slate, and you could feel the urgency from coast to coast. From LeBron James dragging the Los Angeles Lakers through another high-pressure finish to Jayson Tatum calmly steering the Boston Celtics at the top of the East, the playoff picture is tightening and every possession suddenly feels like April basketball.
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As teams jostle for position, the NBA Standings now read like a power index of who is truly built for the stretch run. Contenders like the Celtics and Denver Nuggets keep stacking wins, while the Lakers, Warriors and Suns are grinding for seeding and trying to avoid the Play-In chaos. Box scores from last night only deepened the storylines: stars went off, role players swung games, and a couple of supposed underdogs punched way above their weight.
Last night’s drama: stars answer the bell
In Los Angeles, LeBron James once again controlled the entire tempo, operating like a one-man weather system. Every time the opponent threatened with a run, LeBron slowed the game down, hunted mismatches and lived in the paint. His line was classic LeBron: heavy minutes, efficient scoring, double-digit assists and a handful of momentum-turning rebounds. It was less about a single highlight and more about a steady, suffocating grip on crunchtime.
Anthony Davis backed him up with a dominant interior performance, piling up a Double-Double built on rim protection and second-chance points. The Lakers’ Defense, which has wobbled throughout the year, locked in during the fourth quarter. A couple of late rotations, a strip in traffic and a chasedown block flipped what felt like a dangerous trap game into a statement win. You could hear it in the postgame locker room: this is a group that knows there is no margin for error.
On the other side of the country, the Celtics did what elite teams are supposed to do in the regular season: handle business. Jayson Tatum’s box score pops, but it was his decision-making that stood out. He hunted mismatches, kicked to shooters when the help came and took over late clock situations with stepbacks from downtown. Jaylen Brown added his usual attacking burst, and the Celtics’ spacing simply overwhelmed a defense that could not keep up with the constant drive-and-kick pressure.
Steph Curry, meanwhile, turned another night into a personal shooting clinic. Even when defenses send two bodies at him 30 feet from the basket, Curry keeps warping the floor. His gravity opened the lane for cutters and short-roll playmaking, and once he started splashing from deep, the crowd knew the game was tilting. Golden State’s margin for error is thin this season, but as long as Curry is hitting pull-ups from the logo, the Warriors have a puncher’s chance against anyone.
Out West, Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns kept leaning on pure shotmaking. Durant’s midrange package was on full display: jab steps, high releases, and those ruthless pull-ups over outstretched arms. When he shares the floor with another elite shot creator, the Suns’ offense hums, but the question remains whether the defense can consistently string together stops against bigger, more physical lineups.
How the NBA Standings look at the top
Peel back the box scores and the current NBA Standings show a league in tiers. The Celtics and Nuggets are operating like well-oiled machines, the Thunder and Timberwolves are playing with young-team fearlessness, and seasoned squads like the Lakers, Suns and Warriors are lurking just below, hoping to be healthy and peaking when the playoffs start.
Here is a compact look at where some of the key contenders and name-brand franchises sit right now in the conference race:
| Conference | Team | Record | Seed | Recent Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | Boston Celtics | Top record | 1 | Rolling, elite on both ends |
| West | Denver Nuggets | Top record | 1 | Steady, Jokic in full control |
| West | Oklahoma City Thunder | Near top | Top 3 | Young core surging |
| West | Minnesota Timberwolves | Near top | Top 4 | Defense-first identity |
| West | Los Angeles Lakers | Above .500 | Playoff/Play-In mix | Climbing behind LeBron & AD |
| West | Phoenix Suns | Above .500 | Playoff/Play-In mix | Streaky, offense-heavy |
| West | Golden State Warriors | Around .500 | On the bubble | Dependent on Curry’s brilliance |
That top line in both conferences feels firm. Boston and Denver have banked wins, established clear identities and can survive the occasional off night from their stars. For everyone else, the math is harsher. Drop two or three in a row and you are sliding into Play-In territory, especially in the brutal Western Conference.
For the Lakers, each victory is a double win: a confidence boost and a bump up the ladder. The Suns’ margin is slimmer. Defensive lapses and late-game execution have cost them seeding. The Warriors are living on the edge; a hot week could catapult them to safety, while a cold streak might push them out of the picture entirely.
Playoff picture: who is safe, who is sweating
In the East, the Celtics sit comfortably in that “safe” tier. They are not just winning; they are crushing the point differential battle and have the feel of a group that can tap into another gear when needed. Behind them, teams jockey for home court, but there is a growing gap between the true contenders and the pack.
The West is a different story. Every game swings the Playoff Picture. Seeds three through ten are separated by only a handful of games, and tiebreakers are going to matter. The Thunder and Wolves are playing like they want to skip the learning curve, leaning on elite Defense and pace. The Lakers are treating every night like a must-win, fully aware that slipping into the Play-In means flirting with a one-and-done exit.
Coaches are already talking like it is the postseason. One Western assistant summed it up after last night’s grind: “There are no easy nights in this conference. You don’t get to pick your spots anymore. If you coast for six minutes, you get run off the floor.” The standings back him up: a two-game swing can change an entire bracket.
MVP race and player stats: Jokic, Doncic, Giannis, Tatum in the spotlight
The MVP Race is turning into a familiar heavyweight battle with a few new twists. Nikola Jokic remains the stabilizing force in Denver, stacking absurd Player Stats almost casually. Whether it is a 30-point Triple-Double or a 20-assist orchestration, Jokic dictates everything the Nuggets do. His efficiency and control of tempo remain unmatched.
Luka Doncic stays in the conversation by sheer offensive volume. Stepbacks from deep, foul-drawing craft in the lane, laser passes to shooters in the corners – Luka’s usage is massive, and his box scores reflect it. When he is locked in defensively and his teammates knock down open looks, his team looks like a problem in any seven-game series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to bulldoze his way to the rim, putting up monster scoring and rebounding nights. Even on evenings when the jumper is not falling, his physical dominance warps defenses. Add in his help-side shot blocking and transition terror, and Giannis is still one of the most terrifying single-game forces in the sport.
Jayson Tatum’s candidacy leans on winning and two-way impact. His scoring is efficient, his rebounding underrated, and his Defense has hit another level in key possessions. Tatum is rarely the loudest stat line on the board, but he is almost always in control, especially late.
And then there is LeBron, who refuses to age out of the conversation. He may not lead every counting stat anymore, but his late-game shotmaking, playmaking and leadership remain central to the Lakers’ surge. On nights like the latest win, when he is drilling threes, bullying mismatches and calling out actions before they happen, he still looks like one of the best players in the world.
Injuries, rotations and the hidden stories behind the standings
The NBA Standings never tell the full story without context. Recent weeks have seen key injuries and rotation tweaks that quietly shape the playoff race. Some teams are still managing stars’ minutes on back-to-backs, others have tightened the rotation to an eight-man playoff-like core.
One of the biggest under-the-radar factors is health in the middle of the rotation. Losing a starting wing or backup point guard for a week can flip game plans, particularly for teams that lean heavily on specific lineups. Coaches are experimenting with small-ball looks, jumbo frontcourts and switching schemes, hoping to find lineups they can trust when the postseason slows every possession down.
Postgame comments around the league share a similar tone: coaches warning about complacency, veterans reminding young teammates about details. A veteran guard described it bluntly after his team escaped with a narrow win: “We are playing for seeding now. You either build good habits or you get exposed in May.”
Looking ahead: must-watch matchups and shifting momentum
The next few days on the schedule are loaded with measuring-stick games. The Celtics will be tested by fellow contenders in high-intensity showdowns that feel like Eastern Conference Finals previews. Denver faces another rugged Western opponent, where Jokic will be asked to out-think and out-execute a defense built to throw multiple looks at him.
LeBron’s Lakers have little breathing room, with upcoming games against direct seeding rivals. Those head-to-heads are effectively worth double; win, and you jump a spot while pushing someone else down. Expect full LeBron minutes, a locked-in Anthony Davis and very little experimentation from the coaching staff. The margin is too small for long leashes.
Curry and the Warriors face a brutal stretch where every game could tilt the season. If the supporting cast hits shots and the Defense holds up just enough, Golden State can still climb. If not, they are staring at a Play-In road game, where one cold night from downtown could end the run.
For Durant and the Suns, the upcoming slate is about proving that their shotmaking can carry them against top-tier defenses. Late-game execution, defensive focus and health will dictate whether they can move up the bracket or stay trapped in the middle.
The only certainty is that the NBA Standings will not stay still. With stars in rhythm, role players stepping into the spotlight and coaches shortening rotations, the league is shifting into its stretch-run mode. Every night’s box scores will ripple through the playoff picture, and the next signature performance might redefine the MVP narrative in a single, explosive quarter.
Bookmark the live hub, clear your evenings and lock in. The race is on, and the league’s biggest names – from LeBron and Tatum to Curry, Durant and Jokic – are making sure the drama lives on every possession.
