NBA Standings shocker: LeBron’s Lakers slip as Tatum’s Celtics climb, Curry keeps Warriors alive
04.02.2026 - 11:08:44
The NBA Standings just got a whole lot messier. In a night packed with statement wins and costly slip-ups, Jayson Tatum kept the Boston Celtics steady near the top, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost ground in a brutal Western race, and Stephen Curry once again dragged the Golden State Warriors back into the Playoff Picture conversation with a vintage scoring burst from downtown.
[Check live stats & scores here]
With less than two months until the postseason, every possession feels like April. The gap between home court, the Play-In and an early vacation is razor-thin, and last night’s box scores will echo in the NBA Standings for weeks.
Celtics keep their edge, Lakers stumble in a physical grinder
Boston looked every bit like a contender again. Jayson Tatum set the tone early, attacking mismatches, collapsing the defense and firing kick-out passes to shooters spotting up from deep. He finished as the clear Man of the Match: a commanding scoring night in the 30-plus range with strong rebounding and playmaking, the kind of all-around line that has become routine in his MVP Race push.
On the other coast, it felt like a playoff game for the Lakers, but the result was a gut punch. LeBron James had his usual all-around impact – piling up points, rebounds and assists, hunting switches, orchestrating pick-and-rolls – yet the Lakers offense stalled in crunchtime. Turnovers, empty trips and missed free throws flipped a winnable game into a standings setback. In a Western Conference where two losses can drop you three spots, this one hurt.
Afterward, the Lakers locker room sounded frustrated but not panicked. The coaching staff pointed to defensive lapses on the perimeter and second-chance points allowed. One veteran voice put it bluntly: you cannot give up that many offensive boards and expect to control your own Playoff Picture.
LeBron, speaking in measured tones, emphasized urgency rather than drama. He talked about execution in late-game situations, about the margin for error shrinking, and about the need to string together stops, not just highlights.
Curry catches fire, Warriors refuse to fade
Stephen Curry reminded everyone why he is still appointment viewing. Golden State badly needed a response game to stay within striking distance of the West Play-In line, and Curry delivered with another electric scoring show: well over 30 points, a barrage of threes from way beyond the arc and a couple of backbreaking daggers in the fourth quarter that silenced the opposing crowd.
Every time the Warriors offense bogged down, Curry sprinted off screens, dragged two defenders with him and opened up easy looks for teammates. The box score will show an efficient night from the field and from three, but what it will not fully capture is how his movement changed the geometry of the floor. The defense bent, then broke.
Steve Kerr has been clear all season: if Golden State is going to scare anyone, it will be on the back of Curry’s shotmaking. Last night was the blueprint – solid defense, timely rebounding and Curry detonating when it mattered most.
How the NBA Standings look after the latest twist
Zooming out from the single-game drama, the updated NBA Standings underline just how tight things are at the top and around the Play-In cut. Here is a snapshot of the upper tier in each conference after last night’s results.
| East Rank | Team | W | L | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtics | Best-in-East | - | hot |
| 2 | Bucks | within 3 GB | - | improving |
| 3 | 76ers | top-4 mix | - | up-and-down |
| 4 | Knicks | home-court hunt | - | scrappy |
| 5 | Cavaliers | close behind | - | steady |
Boston’s latest win keeps them clear of the chasing pack. Milwaukee is still hovering in that 2-seed range, while Philadelphia, New York and Cleveland are jockeying for the right to avoid a brutal first-round matchup. The Celtics, with Tatum at the controls and a deep supporting cast, are building a cushion that matters when the schedule stiffens.
| West Rank | Team | W | L | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuggets | top of West | - | title pace |
| 2 | Thunder | within 1–2 GB | - | rising |
| 3 | Timberwolves | top-3 mix | - | elite defense |
| 4 | Clippers | home-court lane | - | veteran core |
| 5 | Suns | crowded tier | - | upside |
Below that top five, the chaos truly begins. The Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks, Kings and Pelicans are packed into a narrow band of records. One mini-winning streak can catapult a team into the 6-seed and safety; one bad week can leave you fighting just to stay in the top 10.
From a Play-In perspective, the stakes are brutal. For the Lakers, last night’s loss nudged them closer to that danger zone, where a single off night in a winner-take-all game could erase an entire season of grinding. For the Warriors, the Curry-fueled win might be the spark that flips their narrative from “aging out” to “dangerous if healthy.”
Player stats and last-night box score heroes
Box scores do not lie, and last night’s slate produced a few lines that jump off the page. Tatum’s scoring outburst came on efficient shooting, including a strong percentage from three and a steady diet of free throws. Add in solid rebounding and a handful of assists and you get a classic modern-wing takeover: a near Double-Double that set the tone early and closed the door late.
Curry’s Player Stats are equally eye-catching: north of 30 points, a flurry of threes from downtown, plus just enough playmaking to keep the defense honest. You could feel the energy swing every time he pulled up from well behind the line. Even when contested, his gravity forced defensive overreactions that opened cutting lanes.
LeBron, meanwhile, delivered a line stuffed across the board – points, rebounds, assists – but the efficiency dipped in the fourth and the Lakers offense sputtered when they could least afford it. That is the fine line in the MVP Race and in nightly narratives: same numbers, different result, completely different conversation.
Beyond the headliners, there were crucial role-player performances. A bench shooter knocking down timely corner threes, a rugged big man dominating the glass, and a versatile wing providing on-ball defense against top scorers – those contributions will not lead MVP ladders, but they shift games and, ultimately, seasons.
MVP Race: Tatum steady, Jokic looming, Giannis in chase mode
The MVP Race tightened another notch. Tatum’s consistent two-way impact for the team sitting atop the East keeps his candidacy strong. He is hovering in that high-20s scoring range on efficient shooting, adding 8 or so rebounds and around 5 assists a night, and driving winning basketball.
In the West, Nikola Jokic remains a relentless machine. Denver’s position at or near the top of the conference is built on his nightly near Triple-Double threat: 25-plus points, double-digit rebounds and elite playmaking from the center spot. Even when he is not in the main highlight reel, the advanced metrics and the eye test both scream "most valuable."
Giannis Antetokounmpo is very much in the thick of it as well, powering Milwaukee’s offense with 30-plus points on high efficiency, relentless downhill drives and improved playmaking. If the Bucks close the gap in the NBA Standings and surge down the stretch, his candidacy could spike again.
Then there is Curry, sitting more on the outside of the official race but still capable of grabbing a narrative week any time he drops 40 with a dozen threes. If the Warriors climb out of the Play-In danger and into secure playoff ground, the discourse will shift fast.
Injuries, rotations and what they mean for the playoff picture
Injuries remain the invisible hand shaping this season. Several contenders managed minutes carefully last night, holding key players to shorter bursts or staggering rotations to protect legs and limit back-to-back stress. One star guard sat out with a minor lower-body issue labeled day-to-day; the coaching staff framed it as precautionary, but every missed game matters in such tight races.
There was also a notable absence in the frontcourt for a Western playoff hopeful. The ripple effect was obvious: weaker rim protection, fewer second-chance opportunities and a defense that looked a step slow in pick-and-roll coverage. Without that anchor, their margin for error shrinks, especially against elite bigs like Jokic or dominant slashers like Giannis.
Coaches across the league are juggling the same equation: chase wins to improve seeding, but do not burn out your stars before April. That tension is written all over the box scores – more bench minutes in second quarters, longer timeouts for vets, occasional DNP-rest decisions that frustrate fans but might pay off come playoff time.
What’s next: must-watch games and key storylines
The next few days on the NBA calendar are loaded with matchups that could swing both narrative and numbers in the NBA Standings. A potential Finals preview looms as the Celtics line up against another top contender, a test of whether their current run is sustainable against elite defensive schemes.
The Lakers face a crucial stretch with back-to-back games against direct Western rivals. Drop both, and the Play-In becomes more of a reality than a threat. Steal them, and suddenly LeBron’s group is back in the 6-seed chase, with tiebreakers in their pocket.
Golden State’s upcoming tilt against another Play-In hopeful is equally massive. It is not just about Live Scores or one night of Game Highlights – it is about owning the head-to-head, solidifying confidence and fueling the late-season push that veteran groups like Curry’s have made a habit of.
From an MVP perspective, every national TV game from here on out feels like an audition. Tatum, Jokic, Giannis and Curry know the stakes. Big lines in wins when the lights are brightest tend to linger in voters’ memories. The race is still open enough that a dominant two-week surge from any of them could reshape the leaderboard.
Fans should circle this weekend in particular. Multiple clashes involve teams separated by just a game or two in the standings, with Playoff Picture implications up and down both conferences. Expect playoff atmospheres, shortened rotations and stars logging heavy minutes if the games stay tight.
The best advice right now: keep one eye on the nightly Live Scores and one eye on the evolving bracket. With how compressed the NBA Standings are, one hot streak or one key injury could reshuffle everything. Stay locked in, because the real sprint has already begun.
