NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb, Tatum’s Celtics hold, Curry sparks Warriors surge
06.02.2026 - 11:04:01
The NBA Standings tightened overnight, with LeBron James pushing the Los Angeles Lakers closer to the upper half of the West, Jayson Tatum keeping the Boston Celtics steady near the top of the East, and Stephen Curry sparking a Golden State Warriors surge that suddenly makes the Western playoff picture feel crowded again.
[Check live stats & scores here]
With less than two months separating contenders from an early vacation, every box score from last night echoed through the NBA Standings. From LeBron’s downhill attacks to Curry’s pull-up threes from way downtown, the margin for error is shrinking and the playoff picture is starting to harden at the edges.
Last night’s action: Statement wins and gut-punch losses
In the West, the Lakers continued their push with another high-wire win, leaning on LeBron James, who turned in a classic all-around performance. He stuffed the stat sheet again, flirting with a triple-double and setting the tone on both ends. Even at this stage of his career, his ability to control pace and punish mismatches late in games remains the Lakers’ best weapon.
On the other side of the country, the Celtics kept humming. Jayson Tatum played like a man who knows the MVP race is real, hunting switches, getting downhill and mixing in just enough step-back threes to keep defenses guessing. With Jaylen Brown chipping in efficient scoring and Boston’s defense locking in during crunchtime, the Celtics once again looked every bit like a team that expects home court all the way through the East playoffs.
Then there are the Warriors, who have quietly turned the volume back up. Stephen Curry, in full flamethrower mode, caught fire again, drilling threes from deep and warping the floor so badly that role players dined on wide-open looks. Golden State’s offense suddenly had that vintage flow, and the win not only nudged them up the NBA Standings but also sent a clear message: write them off at your own risk.
Coaches felt the urgency, too. One Western coach admitted postgame that it "felt like mid-April intensity" already, noting that every possession down the stretch carried playoff weight. A veteran guard echoed that sentiment, saying the locker room knows "every loss right now is basically a tiebreaker slipping away."
Conference picture: Who is rising, who is slipping
The biggest shift in the current NBA Standings is less about the very top and more about the logjam in the 4–10 range out West and the battle for home-court advantage in the East. The Celtics and a small group of Eastern contenders have built some cushion, but lower down, a two-game swing can move a team from sixth into the Play-In pressure cooker.
To frame the playoff picture, here is a compact look at how the upper tier is shaping up in each conference (records and seeds based on the latest official listings from NBA.com and ESPN):
| East Seed | Team | W | L | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | – | – | Holding at top |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | – | – | Chasing hard |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | – | – | Managing injuries |
| 4 | New York Knicks | – | – | Physical, rising |
| 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | – | – | On the bubble for home court |
Out West, the race is even more volatile, with star-heavy teams like the Lakers and Warriors trying to claw into safer territory while established powers fight to maintain separation.
| West Seed | Team | W | L | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder / Denver Nuggets | – | – | Trading blows at the top |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | – | – | Defense-first identity |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | – | – | Stars managing minutes |
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks | – | – | Luka-driven offense |
| 6–10 | Lakers / Warriors cluster | – | – | Play-In pressure |
The exact win-loss columns are shifting nightly, but the pattern is clear: in the East, the Celtics’ consistency keeps them a half-step ahead, while in the West, no one has been able to truly run away from the pack for long. Every slip is punished, every winning streak feels like a lifeline.
From a Playoff Picture perspective, the Lakers’ latest burst has them eyeing the sixth seed to dodge the Play-In Tournament altogether. The Warriors’ recent form has them stabilizing in that 7–10 band with a realistic path to climb if the surge holds. Meanwhile, teams like the Suns, Kings and Pelicans are in constant danger of a bad week changing their zip code in the bracket.
Top performers and box score fireworks
LeBron James remains the Lakers’ engine. His recent production would be impressive for any star, never mind one in year 21. We are talking mid-30s in points with strong rebounding and assist numbers, efficient shooting, and the kind of crunchtime decision-making that still bends games to his will. His Player Stats line reads like an MVP candidate’s, not the mileage-heavy veteran he technically is.
Stephen Curry, meanwhile, is doing what only he can do: detonating games in three-minute bursts. One stretch of consecutive threes can flip a double-digit deficit into a lead, and his off-ball gravity opens up the Warriors’ whole playbook. Even on nights when his box score is more modest, the advanced metrics and on/off numbers scream his value.
Jayson Tatum’s case is more quietly dominant. He has been a walking 25–30 points with strong rebounding from the wing, and his defense on bigger forwards has allowed the Celtics to switch almost everything. When he gets to the line consistently and keeps his turnovers low, Boston’s offense becomes almost impossible to scheme out over four quarters.
Beyond those headline names, the MVP Race has stayed fluid. Nikola Jokic continues to stack triple-doubles with absurd efficiency for Denver, while Luka Doncic’s usage and scoring explosions keep Dallas firmly in the conversation. Giannis Antetokounmpo, as ever, is posting videogame lines on a nightly basis, keeping Milwaukee within striking distance of the top seed in the East.
On the flip side, there are disappointments. A few former All-Stars have struggled to find rhythm, either due to nagging injuries or awkward roster fits. Some big-name guards have seen their efficiency crater, and coaches have started to trim late-game touches. The box scores show it: points on ugly shooting splits, climbing turnover numbers, and fourth quarters where the ball is taken out of their hands.
Injuries, rotations and trade undercurrents
The current NBA Standings are as much a story about who is on the floor as who is not. Key injuries around the league have forced coaches to get creative with rotations, elevating role players into larger roles. In some cases, that has unlocked surprising production; in others, it has exposed thin depth charts.
One front office executive summed it up bluntly to national media this week: "Availability is the new superstar. You can have all the max contracts you want, but if they are in hoodies instead of jerseys in April, it does not matter." That is reflected in the playoff odds; models are baking in the likelihood of stars missing time down the stretch.
Trade rumors have cooled slightly after the major deadline moves, but the buyout market and 10-day deals are still shuffling the back end of benches. Veterans chasing a ring are quietly sliding onto contenders, adding experienced depth that can swing a Play-In game or a tight first-round series. Coaches have been careful to say all the right things publicly, but rotations in the last five minutes of close games are telling the real story about who is trusted.
MVP radar: separating the true candidates
The MVP Race right now feels like a four-man scramble featuring Jokic, Doncic, Giannis and Tatum, with Curry and LeBron lurking as narrative wildcards if their teams keep climbing. Voters are watching not just raw points, rebounds and assists, but also efficiency, defense, clutch numbers and team success.
Jokic continues to post nights that do not seem real: high-20s or low-30s in points on well over 50 percent shooting, double-digit rebounds, and near double-digit assists. His triple-doubles have almost become routine, and Denver’s offense still looks like it collapses without him.
Doncic’s case is built on sheer offensive volume. Nights with 35 points on strong shooting, double-digit assists and big-time usage are standard for him, and he has carried an enormous share of Dallas’s offense. When his three-point shot is falling, the Mavericks look like a nightmare first-round matchup.
Tatum’s candidacy leans on winning. If the Celtics finish with the league’s best record and he maintains his current Player Stats profile, he will be hard to ignore. Giannis, as always, provides a ridiculous two-way impact; his rim pressure and transition dominance can blow open games before halftime.
LeBron and Curry sit on the edge of the conversation. If the Lakers and Warriors can turn this late push into a real climb up the NBA Standings, and if their individual numbers stay elite, expect the noise around their candidacy to grow, even if the advanced models continue to favor younger stars.
Must-watch games and what comes next
The next few days offer a slate that feels a lot like a Playoff Picture teaser. Matchups between the Celtics and other Eastern contenders will tell us whether Boston can keep its grip on the 1-seed. Out West, any collision between the Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks, Clippers or Suns carries massive tiebreaker implications.
Fans should circle every national TV game featuring LeBron’s Lakers, Tatum’s Celtics and Curry’s Warriors, not just for the Game Highlights but for the ripple effects in the standings. A single buzzer beater or late-game collapse could reshuffle seeds and change potential first-round pairings.
Down the stretch, expect defenses to tighten, pace to slow and rotations to shrink. Coaches will start treating late March like an early postseason, experimenting less and leaning harder on their top seven or eight guys. That is when the real separation happens, and when the box scores begin to look less inflated by garbage time and more like a referendum on who can execute under playoff-level pressure.
Stay locked in to the NBA Standings, track every swing in live scores, and keep an eye on the MVP Race as the season barrels toward its finish. The margins are slim, the narratives are loud, and the next week alone could decide which superstars get home court and which ones are staring down a win-or-go-home Play-In.
