NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb, Tatum’s Celtics hold firm as Curry keeps Warriors alive
09.02.2026 - 06:48:48
The NBA standings tightened overnight as LeBron James dragged the Los Angeles Lakers a step closer to safety, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics held their ground near the top, and Stephen Curry once again kept the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Playoff Picture with a vintage scoring burst. It felt less like a midseason grind and more like an early playoff dress rehearsal.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Overnight drama: crunch-time killers and upset alerts
LeBron James reminded everyone why he still bends games to his will. In a high-tension matchup with direct seeding implications, the Lakers leaned heavily on their leader. James stuffed the box score with a near triple-double, attacking downhill in transition, orchestrating in the halfcourt and switching across multiple positions on defense.
The defining stretch came in Crunchtime: LeBron buried a deep three from way downtown, then followed with a bully-ball drive through contact. The arena flipped from nervous to electric in seconds. One Western scout watching from the stands could be heard saying, in essence, that LeBron still reads defenses two steps ahead, like a quarterback who has seen every coverage in the book.
On the other coast, the Celtics looked like a one-seed that is comfortable living with everyone’s best punch. Jayson Tatum paced Boston with an all-around line: efficient scoring, strong rebounding on both ends and playmaking out of double-teams. Every time an opponent made a mini-run, Tatum answered with either a tough sidestep three or a drive that collapsed the defense and kicked out to shooters like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.
Golden State faced a different kind of test. With their margin for error razor thin, Curry had to go full flamethrower. He poured in a big scoring night, splashing multiple threes from way beyond the line and bending the defense so hard that even his simple pick-and-rolls felt like panic alarms for the opponent. The Warriors bench erupted on a late-third-quarter triple when Curry pulled from the logo; it felt like an emotional momentum swing for their entire season.
Elsewhere around the league, several bubble teams traded haymakers. A lower-seeded squad stole a road win over a favored opponent, the kind of result that does not just change a column in the standings, but alters tiebreaker math and locker-room belief. Coaches talked afterward about playoff-level physicality, about how every box-out and every close-out is starting to feel heavier.
Current NBA standings: top seeds and bubble watch
With last night’s results locked in, the upper tier in each conference kept its shape while the middle and lower playoff tiers compressed again. At the top, Boston continues to set the pace in the East, while Oklahoma City and Denver jostle for pole position out West. In between, teams like the Knicks, Suns, Lakers and Warriors are trying to avoid the chaos of the Play-In Tournament.
Here is a snapshot of the top of each conference based on the latest official NBA standings:
| East Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | Best-in-East, clear cushion |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Firmly in top tier |
| 3 | New York Knicks | Within striking distance |
| 4 | Philadelphia 76ers | Holding home-court range |
| 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Locked in playoff zone |
| West Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Neck-and-neck for top seed |
| 2 | Denver Nuggets | Within a game of No. 1 |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Clinging to top-3 spot |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | Comfortable home-court zone |
| 5 | Phoenix Suns | Fighting to stay out of Play-In |
Just below that upper crust, the real tension lives. The Lakers and Warriors sit squarely in the bubble conversation, toggling night to night between the last guaranteed playoff positions and the Play-In ringer. A single two-game skid could mean dropping from safety into sudden-death territory, especially with teams like the Kings, Mavericks and Pelicans lurking in the same band.
Coaches are starting to talk openly about standings math. One Western coach noted that a head-to-head win over a direct rival feels like picking up two in the loss column because of tiebreakers. A loss, on the other hand, lingers for weeks when the margins are this thin.
Game highlights: from LeBron’s control to Curry’s fireworks
The box scores from last night read like a who’s who of marquee names delivering when it matters. LeBron piled up points, rebounds and assists in a classic all-court performance. His Player Stats line underscored his impact: high-20s in scoring, double-digit dimes in reach and near double-figure boards as he repeatedly finished possessions on the glass.
In the same game, Anthony Davis anchored the interior, turning away drives and cleaning the glass. His double-double presence allowed the Lakers to crank up pressure on the perimeter without surrendering easy looks at the rim. A Lakers assistant later said, in essence, that when Davis is that locked in defensively, the whole system tightens and transition chances explode.
For the Celtics, Tatum’s night was more about control than pyrotechnics. He scored efficiently from all three levels, attacked mismatches in the post and made the simple pass over and over as extra defenders shaded his way. One possession late in the third quarter summed it up: Tatum caught on the wing, sized up the help, rejected the screen and walked into a pull-up jumper that felt automatic.
Golden State’s highlight reel, by contrast, will live on Curry’s next signature mixtape. He rattled off a flurry in the second quarter, hitting back-to-back threes off movement, then a third off a broken play where he simply relocated to open space while everyone else was scrambling. The crowd buzz shifted from hopeful to stunned; each make felt like a gut punch for the opponent’s defense.
Defensively, Draymond Green once again served as the Warriors’ traffic cop, barking out coverages, jumping passing lanes and snuffing out would-be layups with smart rotations. His box score will not pop the way Curry’s does, but his fingerprints were all over the fourth quarter.
MVP race: Jokic, Tatum, Luka and the chasing pack
While the nightly noise is loud, the wider league story runs through the MVP race. Nikola Jokic continues to post outrageous Player Stats for the Nuggets, stacking triple-doubles with almost casual regularity. His most recent outing was another masterclass in offensive orchestration: three-level scoring, elite passing out of the high post and a near-perfect command of pace.
Tatum, meanwhile, has the combination of numbers and wins that typically sway voters. He is averaging well north of 25 points per game, adding strong rebounding and playmaking, all while leading a Celtics team perched at or near the top of the NBA standings. Boston’s dominance gives him a narrative boost: best player on the best team is still the cleanest MVP argument in the book.
Luka Doncic remains the league’s nightly box-score hurricane. His usage rate is sky-high, and his counting stats are monstrous: big scoring nights, double-digit assists, and enough rebounding to flirt with triple-doubles on a regular basis. The challenge for Doncic, as always, is pushing his team high enough in the West to make voters comfortable putting him ahead of Jokic and Tatum.
Quietly lurking is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As the driving force behind the Thunder’s rise toward the top of the West, SGA’s efficiency and two-way impact are drawing increased buzz. Coaches rave about his ability to live in the paint without forcing bad shots, to get to the line and to spearhead a defense that can switch almost everything.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Curry are on the periphery of the MVP Race as well. Giannis has the monster numbers; Curry has the narrative juice of keeping a flawed Warriors roster feasible in the Playoff Picture. If either team finds a late surge up the standings, those cases get louder in a hurry.
Injuries, roster moves and what they mean for the playoff picture
No serious contender escapes this stretch of the season without some injury turbulence, and this week has been no exception. A couple of key starters across playoff hopefuls either missed last night’s action or played through lingering nagging issues. Teams are walking the tightrope between chasing seeding and preserving legs for late April and May.
One Eastern contender kept a core guard out as a precaution, prioritizing long-term health over a single regular-season matchup. The coaching staff framed it as a marathon decision, hinting that the player could suit up if it were a Game 7. In the West, a wing stopper dealing with a minor strain logged fewer minutes than usual, forcing his team to mix in more zone looks and cross-matches to survive defensively.
Trade chatter is starting to simmer around the fringes of the league. Several bubble teams are rumored to be gauging the market for rotational shooting and versatile defenders, aware that one hot bench piece can swing a Play-In showdown. Front offices are watching the NBA standings and the next ten days of results very closely before deciding whether to buy, sell or stand pat.
Coaches and players alike emphasize continuity, but nobody wants to head into a road Play-In game one shooter short. Expect more smoke around veteran three-and-D wings and backup point guards who can steady a second unit.
Looking ahead: must-watch games and shifting pressure
The next few days on the schedule are loaded with seeding landmines. The Lakers face another high-leverage tilt against a Western rival sitting in the same band of the table. LeBron has been open about the urgency, noting that the team does not have the luxury of punting games while they chase chemistry.
Boston, on the other hand, gets a chance to further tighten its grip on the East against another top-four opponent. A win there would not just boost their record; it would reinforce the gap between the Celtics and the chasing pack, strengthening their case for home court throughout the playoffs.
For Golden State, an upcoming clash with another bubble team looms large. Curry’s margin for off nights is almost zero; when he sits or struggles, the Warriors offense can grind to a halt. The coaching staff has experimented with new rotation combinations to keep at least one secondary creator on the floor with him, hoping to unlock cleaner looks and reduce his burden.
Fans tracking the NBA standings should keep an eye on back-to-backs, injury reports and late scratches. A tired team on the second night against a rested opponent can flip a projected win into a costly loss. That kind of swing matters a lot more in March than it does in November.
Over the weekend and into early next week, expect more playoff-style atmospheres, more possessions played like they decide series and more stars leaning into heavy-minute loads. The MVP candidates will continue to chase statement nights; the bubble teams will claw for every loose ball; the top seeds will try to stay healthy without losing their edge.
For fans, this is the sweet spot: the blend of high-stakes basketball, nightly Game Highlights and a constantly shifting Playoff Picture. Keep one eye on the court and another on the live scores, because the next big standings swing might be only a single buzzer-beater away.
@ ad-hoc-news.de
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