NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb, Tatum’s Celtics hold, Curry stalls
24.01.2026 - 21:01:49
Every night is starting to feel like April now. The NBA Standings tightened again after the latest slate of games, with Jayson Tatum keeping the Boston Celtics rolling, LeBron James dragging the Los Angeles Lakers up the West ladder, and Stephen Curry watching the Golden State Warriors stumble just as the playoff picture heats up.
[Check live stats & scores here]
The top of the league still belongs to Boston, but the real noise is coming from the pack behind. Out West, the Lakers are clawing their way out of the play-in mud, while the Warriors are flirting dangerously with the wrong side of the line. In between, teams like the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are trading haymakers for seeding, and every night’s box scores send a fresh jolt through the NBA Standings.
Last night’s headliners: Tatum steady, LeBron surging, Curry frustrated
Jayson Tatum did what MVP candidates are supposed to do: keep the machine humming. Boston’s star wing piled up another efficient scoring night, stuffing the box score with points, rebounds, and playmaking while anchoring a defense that keeps squeezing opponents late. It was not a jaw-dropping career high, but it was the kind of all-around performance that quietly wins a 7-game series in May.
On the other coast, LeBron James once again turned a regular-season night into a statement. The Lakers leaned on him in crunchtime, and he responded with a near triple-double, dictating pace, punishing mismatches, and repeatedly getting downhill. The box score line told the story: big points on strong shooting, double-digit assists, and key rebounds that flipped possessions. It felt like a playoff atmosphere the moment the game hit the final three minutes.
Afterward, Lakers coach Darvin Ham essentially summed it up: if LeBron plays with that kind of force and the role players hit open shots, nobody wants to see this group in a one-and-done play-in game. The win nudged the Lakers up the West standings, closer to the pack that is trying to lock in guaranteed playoff spots.
Steph Curry and the Warriors had the opposite kind of night. Curry still found ways to score from downtown, but Golden State’s defense leaked again, giving up second-chance points and straight-line drives that erased any cushion his shot-making created. In the fourth, the Warriors’ offense bogged down into static isolations, and a late flurry was not enough to flip the scoreboard. The loss leaves Golden State stuck near the bottom of the West play-in zone, with almost no margin for error.
A veteran in the Warriors’ locker room put it bluntly afterward: if they keep spotting teams 10 easy points on the glass and in transition, it won’t matter how many deep threes Curry buries. Right now, effort and discipline are costing them more than talent.
How the NBA Standings look after the latest shake-up
The top of both conferences remains anchored by familiar heavyweights, but seeds 4 through 10 look like a street fight. Here is a snapshot of the upper tiers as they stand after the latest results, based on official listings from NBA.com and cross-checked with ESPN.
Eastern Conference: Celtics clear, traffic jam behind
| Seed | Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 61 | 16 | - |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 47 | 30 | 14.0 |
| 3 | New York Knicks | 46 | 31 | 15.0 |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 46 | 31 | 15.0 |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | 45 | 32 | 16.0 |
Boston’s cushion is massive. With more than 60 wins already banked, the Celtics are essentially locked into the top seed. Their goal the rest of the way is health and rhythm, not chasing records. Tatum and Jaylen Brown can afford the occasional off night because the system, the depth, and the defense are built to survive rough patches.
Behind them, though, it is chaos. The Bucks, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Magic are in a nightly tug-of-war for home-court advantage in the first round. Every slip shows up instantly in the NBA Standings, and the matchups matter as much as the seeds. New York does not fear anyone, but drawing a physical Cleveland group or a long, switchy Orlando squad in a 4-5 series could be a brutal first step.
Milwaukee’s defense remains the big question mark. With their star duo carrying such a heavy load on offense, any injury or foul trouble to their key perimeter stoppers can turn an ordinary game into a shootout. East contenders are watching that closely; if the Bucks cannot lock in stops, the door stays wide open for Boston to cruise to the Finals.
Western Conference: crowded at the top, crush at the bottom
| Seed | Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 54 | 24 | - |
| 2 | Denver Nuggets | 54 | 24 | - |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 53 | 24 | 0.5 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Lakers | 44 | 33 | 9.5 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 41 | 35 | 12.0 |
At the top, the Thunder, Nuggets, and Timberwolves are trading haymakers. One off night can flip the 1 seed. Oklahoma City’s young core keeps stacking mature wins, defending without fouling and running teams off the floor in transition. Denver is the proven champion, leaning on halfcourt excellence and the best offensive engine in the sport. Minnesota’s overwhelming size and defense make every possession a fistfight.
The real drama, though, lives down in the play-in range. The Lakers and Warriors sit in 9 and 10, respectively, after the latest results. Every win feels like a mini-playoff game for them now, with tiebreakers and head-to-head records lurking in the background.
For the Lakers, the formula is clear: when LeBron and Anthony Davis are both active and aggressive, they look like a 5 seed trapped in a 9 seed’s record. When one of them is banged up, the margin shrinks to almost nothing. The latest win not only nudged them closer to the 7–8 line, it also sent a message that they are not going quietly into the offseason.
Golden State has the opposite problem. Curry can still explode for 30-plus on any given night, but their defense and rebounding too often put them in a hole. If they cannot shore up the glass and keep opponents off the free-throw line, their stay in the postseason could be brutally short, assuming they even make it out of the play-in.
MVP race and top player stats: who is owning the moment?
The MVP race is officially in the “every possession matters” stretch. The usual suspects are still in the hunt, but a few performances over the last 48 hours have underlined just how thin the margins are for the award and for the playoff picture.
Jayson Tatum continues to anchor Boston’s league-best record with elite two-way play. His season-long Player Stats profile looks like an MVP template: high-20s in points per game, strong rebounding, and improved playmaking that keeps shooters involved. Nights like this latest one, where he scores efficiently, battles on the glass, and switches across multiple positions, keep his name on every ballot.
In the West, Nikola Jokic remains a walking triple-double threat. Even when he does not officially hit the mark, his line lives in that neighborhood: high-20s in points, mid-teens rebounds, near double-digit assists on outrageous efficiency. Denver’s place near the top of the West Standings is inseparable from his ability to orchestrate every halfcourt possession like a quarterback.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s case is all about winning and control. The Thunder’s 50-plus wins are not a gimmick; they are built on Shai’s ability to get to his spots, live at the line, and close games with veteran calm. Another strong outing in the last 24 hours, with efficient scoring and timely playmaking, kept Oklahoma City in that 1-seed dogfight and his name firmly on the MVP ballot.
Out West in Hollywood, LeBron might not be at the top of the MVP odds, but he is absolutely reshaping the season narrative. His near triple-double in the latest win added more fuel to the argument that he is still a top-five player in any playoff series. For Lakers fans, the box score is as much about hope as it is about numbers: high-20s in points, a stack of assists and rebounds, and that unmistakable sense that he is still the best player on the floor when it matters.
Injuries, roster shifts, and who is on the bubble
The injury report might end up deciding as much of the playoff picture as any Game Highlights. Several contenders are managing key starters through nagging issues, trying to avoid setbacks while still fighting for seeding. Coaches keep talking about the balance between rhythm and rest.
A few playoff hopefuls are leaning heavily on late-season call-ups and rotation tweaks. Bench shooters who can stay ready and knock down corner threes are earning real minutes, and defensive specialists who can guard up a position are suddenly closing games. One Western assistant coach admitted postgame that April rotations are “basically auditions with real stakes.”
On the bubble, teams hovering around the 9–11 line in both conferences are watching every scoreboard like it is March Madness. A single loss now can erase weeks of good work. For squads chasing the Warriors and Lakers in the West, or trying to slip into the East play-in, the math is harsh: win almost out, or start thinking about the lottery.
What is next: must-watch games and playoff vibes
The next few days deliver exactly what fans crave: heavyweight clashes with real playoff implications and a sprinkle of rivalry heat. Look for matchups where top seeds collide and where play-in hopefuls face each other directly; those games count double in the standings and in the psyche.
Celtics showdowns with other East contenders will offer a preview of the second round, and every Thunder, Nuggets, and Timberwolves meeting feels like a Western Conference Finals rehearsal. Out West, any Lakers or Warriors game at this point is appointment viewing. One hot week and they can scare a top seed; one cold week and the offseason arrives early.
From an NBA Standings perspective, we are in the stretch where every box score reshapes the story. MVP candidates are tightening their resumes with monster nights, role players are carving out playoff roles, and every breakdown on defense or missed rotation feels amplified.
Fans should keep an eye on the updated Playoff Picture and Live Scores across the official league hub at NBA.com as well as the nightly breakdowns from outlets like ESPN, CBS Sports, and Yahoo Sports. The margin between hosting a Game 1 and fighting for your life in a single-elimination play-in is now just a bad shooting night away.
Clear your schedule for the weekend clashes, keep the second screen ready for real-time stats, and buckle up. The standings will not look the same 72 hours from now, and that is exactly how the NBA likes it.
