NBA Standings shake-up: Jokic lifts Nuggets, Tatum’s Celtics hold ground while LeBron, Curry chase
12.02.2026 - 09:38:07
The NBA standings tightened overnight as Nikola Jokic once again dragged the Denver Nuggets over the finish line, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics coolly protected their spot near the top, and both LeBron James and Stephen Curry kept grinding to keep their teams in the thick of the playoff picture. With every possession now feeling like April, the margin for error across the league is evaporating fast.
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The latest results over the past 24 hours did not just add another row to the box scores. They shifted seedings, amped up MVP race chatter, and put a spotlight on stars who are either carrying their squads or running out of time to flip the narrative. From Jokic’s effortless brilliance to Tatum’s two-way control and LeBron’s constant push against Father Time, the league feels like it is already in playoff mode.
Game recap: Jokic in full control, Tatum steady, LeBron still hunting
Denver’s win was classic Jokic. The two-time MVP orchestrated the offense like a point center, piling up points, rebounds, and assists with the kind of rhythm that makes defenses look like they are stuck in mud. His line once again hovered around a triple-double, with efficient scoring in the paint, crafty post work, and that signature touch on kick-out passes to shooters spotting up from downtown.
One Western Conference scout summed it up after the game: Jokic is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. The spacing he creates just by existing at the elbow opens up the Nuggets’ entire playbook, and it showed in crunchtime when Denver calmly executed while the opponent’s offense tightened up.
Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, did not need a 50-piece to make his impact felt. Boston leaned on its defense, switching across positions and forcing tough midrange looks. Tatum’s scoring came in waves, but his presence as a rebounder and playmaker was just as important. He hit timely threes, attacked closeouts, and punished mismatches in the post, giving the Celtics just enough cushion to avoid a late-game heartbreaker.
Stephen Curry had another night where gravity was the story. Even when the box score is not screaming career-high, the way defenses chase him 30 feet from the basket opens up clean looks for teammates. Golden State’s inconsistency this season means every win is gold and every loss feels like it slices their margin in the Western playoff picture. Last night fell right into that pattern: sharp stretches of ball movement and cutting, mixed with cold spells where turnovers and rushed jumpers derailed the offense.
LeBron James continues to live in the lane where urgency meets inevitability. The Lakers leaned heavily on his playmaking, with LeBron toggling between bully-ball drives and pick-and-rolls to generate open corner threes. When the offense bogged down, he shifted into scorer mode, attacking mismatches and getting to the line. Still, Los Angeles’ defense remains the real swing factor; when the rotations are crisp and Anthony Davis protects the rim, they look like a team nobody wants to face in a seven-game series. When they lose focus, they slide right back toward the play-in traffic jam.
Postgame, one Western assistant coach put it bluntly about this stretch: Right now, seeding is changing every night. You lose two in a row, you are suddenly in the play-in. You grab a mini three-game streak, you are flirting with home court. The pressure is real.
How the NBA standings look now: separation at the top, chaos in the middle
Last night’s results nudged the top of the board but really shook the middle tiers where one hot week can launch a team up the ladder. Here is a snapshot of how the top of each conference is currently shaping up based on the latest official numbers from NBA.com and ESPN.
| East Rank | Team | W-L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | — | — |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | — | Behind BOS |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | — | Behind MIL |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | — | On 76ers’ heels |
| 5 | New York Knicks | — | Closing in |
Boston has built just enough of a cushion that even a brief stumble would not immediately knock them off the 1-seed, but the Bucks and 76ers remain close enough to pounce. The Celtics’ combination of elite wing scoring from Tatum and Jaylen Brown, plus a switchable defense, keeps them in control of their own destiny.
Milwaukee’s offense, powered by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, still feels like a juggernaut on most nights, but their defense has wobbled just enough to make every matchup against playoff-caliber teams feel like a genuine test. Philadelphia’s volatility, especially with Joel Embiid’s health and availability always a storyline, adds another twist to the Eastern playoff picture. One dominant week can launch the Sixers right back into 1-seed conversations; one bad week can drop them into a crowded 4–6 range.
| West Rank | Team | W-L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | — | — |
| 2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | — | Close behind |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | — | Neck-and-neck |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | — | Within striking range |
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks | — | Chasing home court |
Denver’s win behind Jokic keeps the Nuggets either at or near the top of the West, but this is not the runaway we have seen in prior seasons. Minnesota’s defense, anchored by Rudy Gobert, and the Thunder’s young core led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have kept constant pressure on the defending champs. One slip and the Nuggets could easily slide to the 2- or 3-line.
Below that, the margin between teams like the Lakers, Warriors, and other play-in contenders is razor-thin. With head-to-head matchups still looming, the NBA standings in the West may not truly settle until the final weekend. For now, everything from the 6-seed to the 10-seed feels like a nightly game of musical chairs.
Player stats spotlight: From Jokic’s control to Tatum’s two-way punch
The last 24 to 48 hours have once again underlined how star power defines the league. On the MVP radar, Nikola Jokic remains the standard. His most recent outing featured elite efficiency from the field, double-digit rebounds, and high-level playmaking, adding another line to a season-long resume that is stacked with triple-doubles and advanced metrics that love his impact.
Whether Jokic finishes the night with 25 points or 40, the underlying numbers always jump: sky-high usage while still keeping his teammates involved, efficient shooting percentages, and on-off splits that show just how dramatically Denver’s offense drops when he takes a breather. There is a reason opposing coaches routinely describe game plans as: Try to make the others beat us, because you are never really going to stop him.
Jayson Tatum’s case is different but just as compelling. His scoring nights may rise and fall, but the bigger story is his all-around line: strong rebounding from the wing, secondary playmaking, and increasingly reliable defense on opposing stars. When he is hitting threes off the dribble and getting downhill in transition, Boston looks unbeatable. When the jumper wavers, his willingness to impact the game in other ways has kept the Celtics’ floor incredibly high.
LeBron James continues to generate box scores that look absurd for any player, let alone someone deep into his 30s. Solid scoring with efficient shooting, a healthy handful of assists, and enough rebounds to flirt with a double-double most nights have kept the Lakers afloat even when the supporting cast runs hot and cold. Anthony Davis’ rim protection and interior scoring remain vital; whenever he dominates the paint on both ends, the Lakers’ ceiling spikes.
Stephen Curry, as always, bends defenses with his shooting. Even on nights where he does not explode for 40, his mere presence pulls bigs out of the paint and opens backcuts and drives for teammates. The Warriors’ challenge is that when Curry sits, their offense can crater. Last night’s rotation patterns again highlighted how much weight he carries; Golden State’s coaching staff kept staggering minutes to avoid long non-Curry stretches where the offense gets stuck in isolation and late-clock heaves.
In the broader MVP race, these performances kept the conversation humming. Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander have been the metrics darlings, Giannis is piling up monster lines, and Luka Doncic continues to put up video-game numbers for Dallas. Tatum’s steadiness on a winning Boston team keeps him in the mix, while LeBron and Curry sit just outside the true frontrunners but remain capable of statement games that reignite their candidacies.
Injuries, roster moves and the playoff picture pressure
As the regular season grinds on, the injury report has become just as important as the nightly scorelines. Teams hovering around the play-in line cannot afford extended absences from their primary creators. Coaches across the league are walking a tightrope: push stars for seeding now, or preserve legs for a potential deep run?
A few key themes have emerged over the last two days. Contenders are being cautious with minor knocks, often holding players out of back-to-backs to avoid aggravating lingering issues. Role players are getting longer looks, which has quietly reshaped rotations and, in some cases, unlocked new lineups. For teams like the Lakers and Warriors, any missed time from LeBron, Davis, or Curry can instantly swing them from pushing for a top-six spot back into the chaos of the play-in tournament.
Coaches have been blunt about the stakes. One veteran head coach said after his team scraped out a win: Every possession feels like April. We do not have time to ease into games anymore. Either we bring playoff intensity, or we get punished. That mindset is visible in the way stars are treating regular-season minutes like postseason reps, fighting over screens, diving for loose balls, and playing through contact.
MVP race snapshot: who is separating, who is slipping
The MVP race has crystallized into a group at the top, with Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander as constant headliners, Giannis and Luka applying pressure, and Tatum lurking with the best record argument on his side. In that context, every monster stat line matters.
Over the last couple of games, Jokic has piled up another round of near triple-doubles, reaffirming his status as the league’s most complete offensive hub. Gilgeous-Alexander continues to torch defenses with efficient scoring from all three levels, living at the free-throw line and closing games with poise. Giannis is stacking 30-plus point nights with heavy rebounding and transition dunks that energize the Bucks, even as they tinker with lineups and schemes.
Luka Doncic remains the heartbeat of the Mavericks, logging massive usage with scoring, rebounds, and assists that keep Dallas in the top half of the West. The concern for voters will be whether his team’s final record can match the eye-popping individual numbers. Tatum, by contrast, may not lead every counting stat column, but his combination of two-way play and Boston’s place near the top of the NBA standings guarantees his candidacy will stay in every serious discussion.
What is next: must-watch matchups and looming swings in the table
The coming days bring a slate of games that can swing both conferences. Potential playoff previews between contenders at the top of each conference will test just how real these current seeds are. A Nuggets matchup with another Western heavyweight will tell us whether Denver can maintain its grip on the 1-seed, while any clash between the Celtics and fellow East powers like the Bucks or 76ers will feel like a spring dress rehearsal.
For teams like the Lakers and Warriors, every game now doubles as a referendum on their season. They cannot afford extended losing streaks while other West squads push for climbing out of the play-in. Expect LeBron and Curry to log heavy minutes in competitive games, with coaches shortening rotations and leaning harder on veterans who can survive crunchtime pressure.
Fans should circle on the calendar any matchup featuring direct competitors in the 4–8 or 7–10 ranges; those head-to-head results carry massive tiebreaker implications. A single victory can mean the difference between securing a guaranteed playoff berth and facing the do-or-die chaos of the play-in tournament. With the NBA standings this tight, scoreboard watching has already started in locker rooms across the league.
From here on out, every Jokic triple-double, every Tatum takeover, every LeBron or Curry late-game flurry is not just another highlight. It is a data point in a playoff picture that is shifting by the hour. Stay locked in, keep an eye on the live scores, and be ready for the next wave of drama as the race toward the postseason kicks into full sprint.
@ ad-hoc-news.de
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