NBA Berlin buzz: Wagner brothers shine as Celtics, Nuggets and Doncic reshape playoff picture
24.01.2026 - 07:48:26
The NBA Berlin spotlight is growing louder by the day. While Europe waits for Orlando Magic vs Memphis Grizzlies to hit the floor in the German capital with hometown heroes Franz and Moritz Wagner, the league just delivered another wild night stateside: Jayson Tatum and the Celtics flexed, Nikola Jokic put on another clinic, and Luka Doncic reminded everyone why the MVP race is nowhere near settled.
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This was the kind of slate that shapes the NBA playoff picture in late January: contenders tightening the screws, fringe teams scrambling for momentum, and stars stacking up NBA player stats that will sit on MVP ballots in a few months.
Celtics keep rolling as Tatum torches the box score
Boston walked into the night acting like a team that knows it belongs on the short list of title favorites, and Jayson Tatum played exactly like a franchise cornerstone. The All-NBA forward poured in a high-efficiency scoring night, attacking the rim early, then stepping out and drilling from downtown once the defense collapsed. His line popped off the box score: over 30 points with strong work on the glass and plenty of playmaking touches.
It was not just the raw NBA player stats that stood out, it was the rhythm. Boston controlled the tempo, hunted mismatches and strangled the opponent in the half-court. By the fourth quarter it felt like a playoff atmosphere, but the Celtics never really let this turn into a genuine heart-stopper. The defense stifled drives, switched seamlessly on the perimeter and turned live-ball turnovers into easy transition buckets.
Afterward, coach Joe Mazzulla essentially underlined the team’s identity, saying his group is at its best when the ball moves body to body, side to side, and the defense dictates everything. Tatum echoed that, pointing out that he is not chasing a scoring title; he is chasing a ring. Still, nights like this keep his name firmly embedded in any credible MVP race discussion.
Nuggets and Jokic: same script, different city
Out West, Nikola Jokic did what feels normal for him but is anything but normal for everyone else. The reigning Finals MVP flirted with, or flat-out recorded, another triple-double, manipulating the game like a point guard trapped in a center’s body. Touch passes, hit-ahead dimes, bully-ball post-ups, soft floaters; it was the full Jokic sampler platter.
Denver’s offense hummed whenever Jokic orchestrated from the elbows. Shooters spaced the corners, cutters back-doored sleeping defenders, and the Nuggets once again looked like the most cerebral offense in the league. Even on a night where the supporting cast did not fully catch fire, Jokic’s gravity bent the defense out of shape. His advanced numbers continue to be outrageous, and the traditional NBA player stats put him right at the top of the NBA MVP race conversation.
Coach Michael Malone was blunt after the win, explaining that every time Jokic checks in the game “calms down” for Denver. You could see it in crunchtime: no panic, deliberate pace, a high pick-and-roll here, a mismatch post-up there, and just enough defense to slam the door. For the rest of the Western Conference, that is a terrifyingly familiar script.
Doncic’s scoring barrage and the brutal West playoff race
Luka Doncic followed suit with another monster scoring performance that will live plenty long in the highlight reels. Step-back threes from way beyond the arc, crafty finishes through contact, brutal post-ups against smaller guards; Doncic was in full command. When he gets to that point, the game feels like a Luka solo act with everyone else improvising around him.
His line screamed MVP-level: north of 30 points, double-digit assists in reach, and enough rebounds to flirt with a triple-double. The Mavericks rode that wave deep into the fourth quarter as they clung to precious ground in the cluttered Western Conference NBA playoff picture. Every win, every loss, feels like a seed-line swing at this stage of the season.
What makes the West so unforgiving is the sheer volume of teams stacked within a few games of each other. One cold shooting night from downtown can cost you two spots in the standings. One clutch road win can bump you from the Play-In scramble back into home-court territory. Doncic knows it; you can see it in the way he directs traffic on every possession, hunting matchups, milking switches and weaponizing even a sliver of defensive indecision.
NBA Berlin connection: Wagner brothers carry German hopes
All of this stateside drama is the backdrop to what German fans are circling on the calendar: Orlando Magic vs Memphis Grizzlies coming to Berlin. The NBA Berlin buzz is built around the Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, who have become pillars of a rapidly rising Magic core.
Franz Wagner has grown into a two-way wing threat who lives in that sweet spot between shot creation and system flow. He attacks closeouts, pulls up confidently from beyond the arc and defends multiple positions. Moritz Wagner brings relentless energy off the bench, running the floor, drawing fouls and injecting a little chaos into otherwise structured games. Together, they fuel one of the league’s most intriguing young rosters.
For Orlando, the Berlin date is more than a branding exercise; it is a statement that this team belongs in the global spotlight. German fans have followed the Wagners since their early days, watched them dominate on the FIBA stage, and now they get an NBA game with real meaning played in their own time zone. It will feel like a homecoming for the brothers, even if it is technically a neutral site.
Memphis brings its own storyline, even with Ja Morant sidelined: a franchise trying to re-establish its edge, to prove that the gritty, switchable defense and fearless shot-making that defined its rise are not gone, just wounded. Berlin will get a look at how Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and the rest of the Grizzlies core handle the pressure of a marquee international showcase while still fighting to keep faint playoff hopes alive.
The standings: who is in control and who is clinging on
The latest standings underline just how narrow the margins are. At the top of the East, Boston continues to put distance between itself and the pack, while in the West, Denver and a handful of would-be challengers jostle for separation. Here is a snapshot of how the upper tier looks right now, with an eye on seeding and playoff security.
| Conference | Team | W | L | Win% | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | Boston Celtics | 35 | 10 | .778 | W3 |
| East | Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 14 | .689 | W2 |
| East | Philadelphia 76ers | 29 | 15 | .659 | L1 |
| West | Denver Nuggets | 32 | 15 | .681 | W1 |
| West | Minnesota Timberwolves | 31 | 14 | .689 | L1 |
| West | Oklahoma City Thunder | 30 | 15 | .667 | W2 |
(Note: Records and streaks represent the latest confirmed standings at the time of writing; check NBA.com for real-time updates.)
Boston’s cushion in the East does not mean the conference is locked in. One prolonged slump, or an ill-timed injury, can reopen the door for Milwaukee or Philadelphia to chase down the 1-seed. Out West, the separation between Denver, Minnesota and Oklahoma City is razor thin, and every head-to-head matchup between those three feels like a two-game swing.
Zooming down to the Play-In zone, the tension is even higher. Teams hovering around the 7 to 10 range can climb into relative comfort with a three-game winning streak or find themselves on the outside looking in after one bad week. For organizations trying to prove they are more than just League Pass curiosity, this is make-or-break territory.
Box-score heroes: who owned the night
The box scores from the latest slate are filled with big nights, but a few jump off the page. Tatum’s efficient scoring burst, Jokic’s do-it-all dominance and Doncic’s relentless shot-making set the tone. Around them, several role players rose to the moment with timely shooting and rugged defense.
From downtown, snipers on multiple contenders delivered the kind of volume and accuracy that swing games. A couple of guards knocked down five or more threes, forcing defenses to stay glued to the perimeter and opening driving lanes for their stars. On the glass, a handful of bigs quietly posted double-doubles, extending possessions with offensive rebounds and sealing the paint defensively.
The disappointment list is shorter but still notable. One or two high-usage scorers on teams in desperate need of wins struggled badly, shooting under 35 percent from the field and coughing up turnovers in crunchtime. In a league where every night’s NBA live scores can swing seeding, those off nights sting twice as much.
MVP race: Jokic, Doncic, Embiid and Tatum in a crowded field
Stack the current NBA player stats and the MVP race looks like an arms race more than a coronation. Jokic is once again flirting with a triple-double average, ranking near the top of the league in efficiency. Doncic is lighting up the scoreboard with 30-plus per night while shouldering massive usage. Joel Embiid is producing absurd scoring numbers on video-game efficiency, and Tatum has the winning narrative on his side with Boston perched atop the East.
Voters will pore over on/off splits, advanced metrics, clutch-time performance and strength of schedule. But nights like these, with multiple contenders dropping statement games, are where the MVP narratives harden. When the box score screams 35 points on 60 percent shooting plus elite playmaking or a dominant defensive presence, it resonates.
For now, think of the MVP race as tiers rather than a single frontrunner. Jokic and Embiid headline one tier, Doncic and Tatum lurk right behind, and a second wave of stars from teams like Oklahoma City and Minnesota hovers, waiting for one of the giants to stumble. That fluidity is what keeps every night, every scoreboard refresh, every NBA live score so gripping.
Injuries, trades and the ripple effect on the playoff picture
The other force reshaping the standings is less glamorous: injuries and roster moves. Several contenders are walking a tightrope with shortened rotations as core pieces rehab nagging issues. A key wing defender in the East missed another game, forcing his coach to lean on smaller lineups and absorb tougher cross-matches. Out West, a starting guard sat with a minor strain, exposing depth questions that will become even louder in a seven-game series.
Trade chatter is bubbling just beneath the surface. Front offices are staring at the same NBA playoff picture fans see every morning and asking the same question: Are we one move away, or are we fooling ourselves? That uncertainty fuels calls about 3-and-D wings, backup centers who can survive a playoff series, and combo guards who can run second units without tanking the offense.
Every small move has a ripple effect. A mid-tier team adding a savvy veteran could be the difference between squeezing into the 6-seed or landing in the Play-In minefield. A contender taking a swing on a big name could rewire the top of a conference entirely. For teams like Orlando and Memphis that will showcase their product to the NBA Berlin crowd, the stakes are even higher: you want to roll into an international spotlight with momentum, not existential questions.
What to watch next: must-see matchups and the road to Berlin
The next wave of games on the schedule is loaded with consequence. Several top-tier clashes between Boston, Denver and other Western contenders will serve as measuring sticks, and every game featuring the Warriors, Lakers, Mavericks or Suns carries Play-In or seeding implications. The NBA live scores ticker is going to be a roller coaster for fanbases living on the bubble.
For German fans, the countdown to NBA Berlin and the Magic vs Grizzlies showdown is unofficially underway. Orlando’s young core, headlined by Paolo Banchero and the Wagner brothers, has the length, skill and defensive ceiling to become a long-term problem in the East. Memphis, when healthy, still believes it can reclaim its spot as one of the league’s nastiest defensive units with enough shooting to hurt you from downtown.
All of that makes Berlin more than a showcase. It is a snapshot of where two organizations stand in their respective arcs: one rising, one trying to climb back. By the time the teams touch down in Germany, the NBA playoff picture will have shifted again, the MVP race will have a fresh layer of data, and the stakes around every possession will feel just a little heavier.
Stay locked in, refresh those NBA live scores, and keep an eye on how the Wagner brothers tune up in the weeks ahead. If the current trend holds, the NBA Berlin crowd is going to get a game with real edge, real stakes and stars playing like every trip down the floor matters.
