NBA Standings shake-up: Tatum’s Celtics roll, LeBron’s Lakers stumble as MVP race heats up
11.02.2026 - 19:36:13
The NBA standings shifted again over the last 24 hours as Jayson Tatum kept the Boston Celtics cruising, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers dropped another momentum test, and Stephen Curry reminded everyone that his shooting gravity still warps defenses on a nightly basis. With the playoff picture sharpening and the MVP race tightening, every possession now feels like April basketball.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Celtics stay in control while the field scrambles
Boston once again looked like the most complete team in the league. Jayson Tatum set the tone on both ends, attacking mismatches, punishing switches from downtown and controlling the glass. His all-around line was the kind of quiet dominance that does not always explode on social media but screams MVP-level impact to coaches and scouts. Jaylen Brown filled the lanes in transition, and the Celtics defense strangled rhythm out of their opponent for long stretches.
It felt like a playoff atmosphere in Boston. Every stop, every extra pass, every corner three turned into a statement. The Celtics are not just stacking wins; they are building habits. Their net rating, their consistency against both contenders and lottery teams, and their composure in crunchtime all underline why they sit near the top of the NBA standings and look like a Finals favorite.
Joe Mazzulla has leaned into versatility. One possession they switch everything, the next they funnel drivers into help and challenge every pull-up. Opposing coaches have started to admit, in so many words, that you basically have to hit contested jumpers for 48 minutes to beat this group.
Lakers drop another test as LeBron carries a heavy load
On the other coast, the Lakers took another hit in a tightly packed Western Conference race. LeBron James once again put up strong numbers, stuffing the box score with points, rebounds and assists, but the support around him and Anthony Davis came and went in waves. When the shots stopped falling and the ball stuck, their offense slipped into too many late-clock isolations and predictable post entries.
The loss does not bury the Lakers in the playoff picture, but it makes the margin for error thinner. One scout watching from courtside described the body language late in the fourth as "more February fatigue than April urgency," a reminder that at this stage, every defensive lapse, every missed rotation, turns into a two- or three-point swing that can define seeding.
Darvin Ham pointed after the game to "controllable details": getting back in transition, finishing defensive possessions with a rebound, and trusting the pass when defenses pack the paint against LeBron drives and Davis post-ups. The core is proven, but in a deep West, proven is not enough if the night-to-night focus slips.
Stephen Curry still warps the floor
Stephen Curry delivered another reminder of his enduring star power, catching fire from deep and bending the defense beyond recognition. Even when he is not torching the box score with 40-plus, the threat of his pull-up three from way beyond the arc opens up driving lanes for teammates and turns simple dribble handoffs into full-blown defensive emergencies.
The Warriors around him remain a work in progress, but Curry’s efficiency, off-ball movement and late-game shotmaking still feel like a playoff cheat code. Opponents trapped him at half court, blitzed pick-and-rolls and face-guarded him off the ball, yet he still found windows to rack up points and assists, setting up shooters in the corners and bigs rolling to the rim.
Steve Kerr has leaned into smaller, faster lineups to maximize Curry’s impact, even at the cost of some size on the glass. When those lineups lock in defensively and avoid foul trouble, they can still hang with anyone in a single-game setting.
How the NBA standings look at the top
The playoff race is tightening, especially in the upper half of each conference. Boston keeps carving out a cushion in the East, while the West remains a nightly bar fight where a two-game skid can drop a team from home-court dreams to play-in anxiety.
Here is a snapshot of the current top tier in the NBA standings, focusing on the teams everyone is chasing:
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 1 | Celtics | Leading East | -- |
| East | 2 | Bucks | Top-2 mix | Close |
| East | 3 | 76ers | Upper tier | Within striking distance |
| West | 1 | Nuggets | Leading West | -- |
| West | 2 | Timberwolves | Top-2 mix | Close |
| West | 3 | Thunder | Upper tier | Within striking distance |
Boston and Denver feel the most secure, not just because of their records but because of their point differentials, late-game execution and the simple fact that they rarely beat themselves. The rest of the contenders live in that thin line between a three-game heater and a two-week spiral that could turn into a lower seed and a brutal first-round matchup.
The middle of each conference is even wilder. Teams like the Lakers, Warriors and others in that 6-to-10 range know that one bad week can push them into a win-or-go-home play-in scenario. Coaches are openly managing minutes, juggling rotations and trying to protect stars without punting games. It is a delicate balance, and the table punishes indecision.
Live scores, clutch moments and game highlights
The last slate of games delivered a little bit of everything: blowouts that turned into glorified scrimmages, comeback bids that fell just short and a healthy dose of crunchtime drama. Fans tracking live scores watched leads evaporate in minutes as second units swung momentum with energy and shot-making.
One of the loudest moments of the night came on a late dagger three after a broken play, the kind of scramble-possession bucket that turns a nervous arena into a madhouse. Those are the game highlights that will run on loop all day, but they only tell part of the story: the long stretches of half-court defense, the subtle help rotations, the box-outs on free throws that never make the clip reels but win possessions.
Coaches afterward mostly talked about physicality and discipline. The whistle tightens late in the year, and teams that foul jump-shooters or lose track of weakside cutters wind up staring at a scoreboard they do not like.
MVP race: Jokic steady, Tatum surging, Giannis lurking
The MVP race remains a three-way tug-of-war with Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo at the heart of the conversation, while Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry keep forcing their way into nightly debates with monster box scores and outrageous degree-of-difficulty shots.
Jokic is the metronome. His nightly line still looks video-game solid: around the high 20s in points with double-digit rebounds and near double-digit assists, all on absurd efficiency. Even when he is not hunting his own shot, he controls tempo and manipulates defenses like a quarterback at the line of scrimmage.
Tatum’s case leans on winning and two-way impact. He has poured in efficient scoring bursts, often hovering around the 30-point mark while taking the toughest perimeter assignments on defense late in games. He may not lead the league in any single traditional stat, but his combination of usage, efficiency and defense for a team sitting near the top of the NBA standings is exactly what voters tend to reward.
Giannis, meanwhile, continues to live at the rim. He racks up 30-plus points on a diet of downhill drives, transition sprints and bully-ball post-ups that warp opposing game plans. When the jumper falls just enough to keep defenders honest, he looks unguardable for long stretches.
Advanced metrics, on-off impact and team records will ultimately separate the field, but right now the MVP race is less about one player running away and more about who can sustain this level while keeping their team in the top tier of their conference.
Injuries, rotations and the fragile playoff picture
Injuries and rotation tweaks are quietly redefining the playoff picture. Several contenders are managing nagging issues with their stars, and coaches are careful with minutes in back-to-backs. A key starter missing even a week at this stage can flip home-court advantage, while a role player finding form can stabilize a shaky bench unit.
Front offices are watching closely. One executive described this stretch as "roster test season" where you find out which combinations actually survive playoff-style defense and which lineups that looked good in November simply do not scale when the scouting report tightens.
The ripple effect is obvious. A minor injury to a key guard can force a coach to lean on untested depth, which can cost a couple of games and shuffle seeding. That, in turn, changes opponent matchups and can turn what looked like a manageable first-round series into a heavyweight slugfest.
What is next: must-watch games on deck
The next few days are packed with matchups that will echo through the NBA standings. Contenders collide in cross-conference showdowns, while bubble teams face so-called "schedule losses" on the road that they simply cannot afford to wave off.
Lakers games will be under the microscope as LeBron James chases both wins and longevity, trying to balance the need for rest with the pressure of the standings. Every Celtics outing now doubles as a stress test of their championship habits. Warriors games remain nightly theater as Stephen Curry hunts just enough help to keep them out of the play-in danger zone.
For fans, this is the sweet spot of the season. The MVP race is live every night. Player stats tell only part of the story, because the context around each performance now matters as much as the raw numbers. One clutch stop in the final minute, one contested rebound in traffic or one broken-play three from deep downtown can swing not just a box score, but the entire narrative of a team’s season.
Keep one eye on the live scores and another on the bigger picture. The standings will keep wobbling, contenders will rise and stumble, and somewhere in this chaos, a champion is quietly figuring itself out. Stay locked in, because the next slate of games will bring more twists to a race that is far from settled.
@ ad-hoc-news.de
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