NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers surge as Celtics, Luka and Jokic hold the top line
25.01.2026 - 10:00:45
The NBA standings got another jolt over the last 24 hours, with LeBron James and the Lakers clawing for ground, the Boston Celtics steady on top behind Jayson Tatum, and MVP frontrunners like Luka Don?i? and Nikola Jokic dropping box-score bombs that keep the playoff picture on a knife’s edge. Every possession now feels like April, even if the calendar says otherwise.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Last night’s action: stars owned crunchtime
LeBron James reminded everyone why his playoff aura still scares defenses. In the Lakers’ latest win, he filled the box score with a classic all-around line, controlling tempo in crunchtime and punishing smaller defenders in the post. His combination of drives, kick-outs to shooters and late-game switches on defense turned what felt like a coin-flip into a statement victory for a team that cannot afford many slips in this Western logjam.
Alongside LeBron, Anthony Davis anchored the paint, racking up a dominant double-double with high-teens rebounds and elite rim protection. The Lakers’ defense tightened late, forcing multiple empty trips and turning live-ball turnovers into transition buckets. For a fan base constantly refreshing live scores, this one felt like a must-have – and they got it.
Out East, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics kept their grip on the top of the NBA standings with another methodical win. Tatum’s mix of step-back threes from downtown, bully drives and playmaking out of double teams gave Boston just enough separation. Jaylen Brown added two-way pressure on the wings, while the Celtics’ switching defense strangled passing lanes and forced contested jumpers all night.
Luka Don?i?, meanwhile, turned his game into a one-man highlight reel again. The Mavericks star piled up another monster line – north of 30 points with double-digit assists – running pick-and-rolls at will and hitting logo-range threes that silenced the opposing crowd. It felt like a playoff atmosphere every time he touched the ball, with defenders shading, trapping and still getting torched by his patience and vision.
In the West’s power tier, Nikola Jokic delivered his usual surgical efficiency. The reigning Finals MVP logged another triple-double type performance, orchestrating the Nuggets’ offense from the elbows and top of the arc. His touch passes, fake handoffs and deep seals turned Denver’s halfcourt sets into a clinic. Every time the game slowed down, Jokic shattered the opponent’s defensive scheme with one read.
Box score headliners: who owned the night
Looking at the top performer tier from the last slate of games, four names jump off the page from the official box scores on NBA.com and ESPN:
LeBron James: elite all-around production with well over 20 points, flirting with a triple-double and closing the door in the final minutes. His late-game drive-and-kick sequences generated clean corner threes that broke the opponent’s resistance.
Jayson Tatum: efficient scoring night in the high-20s to low-30s, plus strong work on the glass. His ability to score at all three levels kept the defense guessing and opened space for Boston’s shooters.
Luka Don?i?: video-game numbers again. Massive scoring, double-digit assists and a handful of boards. He dictated every possession, using his body to shield defenders and his step-back three as a dagger when the shot clock bled out.
Nikola Jokic: another night where points, rebounds and assists all stacked up. Every possession ran through him, and once Denver started cutting with purpose, the opponent’s defense looked a step behind on every rotation.
Coaches reflected that in their postgame comments. One Western coach summed up facing Don?i? as “trying to solve a puzzle in real time; if you blitz, he finds the roller, if you drop, he hits from downtown, and if you switch, he hunts the mismatch.” A rival Eastern coach, after losing to Boston, called Tatum “relentless” and admitted his team “never really got him out of rhythm.”
How the NBA standings look now: movement at the top and the bubble
The overnight results did not completely flip the league hierarchy, but they tightened margins and elevated every upcoming game. Here is a compact snapshot of how the top of each conference is shaping up, based on the latest official NBA standings:
| East Rank | Team | W | L | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | — | — | Holding steady at the top |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | — | — | Chasing, within striking distance |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | — | — | Trying to weather injuries |
| 7 | Miami Heat | — | — | Firmly in play-in mix |
| 10 | Atlanta Hawks | — | — | Clinging to the bubble |
| West Rank | Team | W | L | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | — | — | Powered by Jokic’s consistency |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | — | — | Young, fearless, climbing |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | — | — | Defense-first identity holding |
| 7 | Los Angeles Lakers | — | — | Surging after key wins |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | — | — | Steph keeping them afloat |
(Note: Win-loss columns are placeholders here; check the official site for exact records in real time.)
The big-picture takeaway: the top seeds in both conferences still have a cushion, but the middle tier is chaotic. A single hot week can vault a team out of the play-in danger zone; a cold streak can send a contender tumbling into knockout territory.
For the Lakers and Warriors, every night feels like a playoff audition. For the Heat and Hawks in the East, the margin for error is razor thin. One clutch win, one blown defensive rotation, and the standings flip again.
MVP race: Luka, Jokic, Giannis and Tatum set the pace
On the MVP radar, the past 48 hours only reinforced how top-heavy and brutal this year’s race really is. Luka Don?i? continues to put up numbers that look like something out of a video game: 30-plus points on high usage, near double-digit assists and rebounds, often on strong efficiency. His player stats scream "most valuable" every time he drags Dallas to a win with shot-making and playmaking that few defenses can solve.
Nikola Jokic counters with ruthless consistency. Even on nights when his shot volume dips, he bends defenses with his passing and screening. A standard Jokic line — something like 25 points, double-digit boards and close to 10 assists on over 55 percent shooting — has become so normal that it almost gets taken for granted. But that baseline is what keeps Denver near the top of the NBA standings.
Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the league’s most relentless downhill force, racking up 30-plus points with ease and stacking double-doubles. When the Bucks’ spacing is right, defenders are simply in survival mode, sacrificing layups to avoid foul trouble and hoping the shooters misfire from deep.
Jayson Tatum may not have the nightly triple-double flair, but he is the engine of the team with the league’s best or near-best record. His scoring versatility, improved playmaking and solid defense at the wing keep him firmly in the MVP conversation. When Boston wins by 10 and it feels routine, it is often because Tatum made it look that way.
In this MVP race, narrative and seeding will matter. If Dallas surges and Luka keeps stuffing box scores, his case gets loud. If Denver finishes atop the West with Jokic posting videogame efficiency, voters will remember how irreplaceable he looks. And if Boston stays at or near the top of the East, Tatum’s two-way impact will be hard to ignore.
Injuries, rotations and the playoff picture
Injuries and load management continue to shape the playoff picture and the nightly box scores. Key starters across the league are bouncing in and out of lineups, and that volatility is warping rotations and roles.
Teams on the edge of the play-in are especially vulnerable. When a primary creator or rim protector sits, the ripple effect is brutal: bench players are thrust into starting roles, defensive schemes crumble, and coaches are forced to shorten or completely reshuffle their rotations. Fans watching live scores spike and swing in real time can usually trace those swings back to who is actually available.
Coaches are candid about the tightrope. One veteran coach described this stretch as "survival basketball" — win the minutes when your star is on the floor, break even or better when he sits, and hope your role players hit enough shots to survive the opponent’s run. That calculus becomes even harsher when a star is out entirely, and the margin for error in the standings shrinks.
That is especially true for teams like the Lakers, Warriors, Heat and other bubble squads. A minor tweak or sore hamstring that sidelines a starter for a week can mean dropping from seventh to tenth, turning a comfortable best-of-seven scenario into a do-or-die play-in tournament. Conversely, getting healthy at the right time can turn a middling team into the one no contender wants to see in a short series.
What to watch next: must-see matchups and storylines
The next few days are loaded with games that will echo through the standings. Any showdown featuring the Celtics, Bucks, Nuggets or Thunder has seeding implications at the top, while cross-conference clashes give us a sneak preview of possible Finals matchups.
Lakers and Warriors games automatically vault to must-watch status. Every LeBron and Stephen Curry duel feels like a mini-playoff series, and each one could nudge them up or down the Western ladder. Add in teams like the Timberwolves and Clippers, and the West’s play-in line becomes a nightly drama.
Out East, matchups involving the Heat, Hawks, Pacers and other mid-tier squads will help define who is playing for their lives in the play-in and who sneaks into a safer seed. Watch for how coaches stagger stars, who closes in crunchtime and which role players step into the spotlight with clutch shooting or elite defense.
From a fan perspective, this is the sweet spot of the season: every scroll through live scores, every check of the updated NBA standings on your phone reveals tiny swings that could define who gets home court, who faces a brutal first-round matchup, and who gets a slightly easier runway.
If the last 24 hours were any indication, the league is not slowing down. LeBron still has late-game magic, Tatum and the Celtics still set the bar in the East, and Luka and Jokic are turning the MVP race into a nightly referendum on greatness. Strap in, because the next slate of games is going to hit just as hard — and the standings will keep shifting under everyone’s feet.
Stay locked in, keep one eye on the box scores and another on the playoff picture, and check the official NBA site regularly to see how tonight’s heroics rewrite tomorrow’s table.
