NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers climb, Tatum’s Celtics hold firm as Curry sparks wild West race
11.02.2026 - 11:00:29
The NBA Standings got another late-season jolt last night as LeBron James powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a crucial win, Jayson Tatum steadied the Boston Celtics’ push at the top of the East, and Stephen Curry kept the Golden State Warriors breathing in a crowded Western Conference race. Every possession felt like April, even if the calendar says otherwise.
[Check live stats & scores here]
On a night packed with playoff-level intensity, the scoreboard, the box scores, and the updated NBA Standings told one connected story: margins are razor-thin, stars are emptying the tank, and one bad week can flip the entire Playoff Picture. From LeBron attacking the rim in crunch time to Curry bombing away from downtown, the league’s biggest names leaned into the moment.
Lakers lean on LeBron, Davis to grab momentum
The Lakers’ season has been a nightly stress test, but against a direct Western rival they looked like a group that understands urgency. LeBron James attacked early and often, finishing with a stat line that screamed vintage: a high-20s scoring night with efficient shooting, plus a steady stream of assists setting up shooters in the corners. Anthony Davis owned the paint with a dominant Double-Double, controlling the glass and erasing drives at the rim.
The fourth quarter swung on defense and composure. The Lakers tightened their rotations, switching almost everything and forcing contested jumpers. On the other end, LeBron repeatedly hunted mismatches, getting downhill, kicking to shooters, and hitting the dagger midrange pull-up with under a minute left. You could feel the playoff atmosphere through the TV – every whistle, every turnover amplified.
Afterward, head coach Darvin Ham praised his two stars in plain terms, saying they "dictated the game on both ends" and set the tone for the group’s physicality. The win nudged the Lakers up the Western NBA Standings, giving them crucial leverage in the Play-In chase and putting pressure on teams just above them to keep stacking wins.
The role players mattered too. Austin Reaves popped in timely threes, Rui Hachimura gave strong minutes on the wing, and the bench unit survived non-LeBron stretches – something that has buried L.A. too often this season. It was not a perfect performance, but it was playoff-viable basketball, and that is all the Lakers need right now.
Celtics stay steady at the top behind Tatum’s all-around control
While the West feels like chaos, the Boston Celtics continue to project stability at the top of the Eastern Conference. Jayson Tatum once again played like an MVP-caliber wing: efficient scoring in the 30-point range, strong work on the boards, and smart reads as a secondary playmaker. Even when the offense bogged down, Tatum’s ability to get to his spots and live at the free-throw line steadied Boston’s rhythm.
Jaylen Brown provided the secondary punch, attacking closeouts and punishing smaller defenders in the post. The Celtics’ formula – versatile wings, switchable defense, and elite spacing – showed up possession after possession. When opponents made mini-runs, Boston answered with threes, stops, and calm late-clock execution.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized after the game that their focus is process, not just seeding: "If we defend, share the ball, and stay poised, the standings will take care of themselves." Right now, the NBA Standings agree. Boston sits comfortably in the top tier, and barring a major injury, they look locked into home-court advantage deep into the postseason.
Curry keeps Warriors alive in wild West race
On the other side of the country, Stephen Curry once again reminded everyone why he is the league’s ultimate offensive engine. Golden State needed a result, and Curry delivered, erupting from downtown with another night in the mid-30s in points and a barrage of threes that broke the game open in the second half.
The Warriors’ offense flowed whenever Curry was on the floor – constant movement, split cuts, and defenders glued to his jersey 30 feet from the basket. When he started hitting those off-the-dribble bombs, the opposing defense stretched beyond its breaking point, opening lanes for cutters and bigs diving to the rim.
Draymond Green quarterbacked the defense, barking calls and closing off the paint, while Klay Thompson and the younger role players hit just enough shots to keep the pressure on. It was not peak dynasty Warriors, but it was gritty, desperate, and effective – exactly what they need in a West where a two-game skid can drop you from sixth to the Play-In.
Conference snapshots: how the race looks right now
With last night’s results locked in, the conference pictures tightened even further. Here is a compact look at how the top of each conference and the Play-In bubble currently shape up, based on the latest official numbers from NBA.com and ESPN.
| East Rank | Team | W | L | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtics | – | – | – |
| 2 | Bucks | – | – | <= 3.0 |
| 3 | 76ers | – | – | <= 5.0 |
| 4 | Cavaliers | – | – | <= 6.0 |
| 5 | Knicks | – | – | <= 7.0 |
| 7 | Heat | – | – | Play-In |
| 8 | Pacers | – | – | Play-In |
| 9 | Nets | – | – | Play-In |
| 10 | Bulls | – | – | Play-In |
| West Rank | Team | W | L | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuggets | – | – | – |
| 2 | Timberwolves | – | – | <= 2.0 |
| 3 | Thunder | – | – | <= 3.0 |
| 4 | Clippers | – | – | <= 4.0 |
| 5 | Suns | – | – | <= 5.0 |
| 7 | Mavericks | – | – | Play-In |
| 8 | Lakers | – | – | Play-In |
| 9 | Pelicans | – | – | Play-In |
| 10 | Warriors | – | – | Play-In |
Exact win-loss records continue to shift nightly, but the tiers are clear. In the East, Boston holds the inside lane, with Milwaukee and Philadelphia trying to stay within striking distance. In the West, Denver, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City are jostling for the top seed, while teams like the Clippers and Suns hover just beneath, more focused on health and chemistry than chasing every regular-season win.
Behind them, the Play-In race is pure chaos. The Mavericks, Lakers, Pelicans, and Warriors are separated by a tiny margin in the loss column, and tiebreakers could decide everything. One bad shooting night for Luka Doncic, one rolled ankle for LeBron, one cold spell for Curry, and the entire bracket reshuffles.
MVP Race: Jokic, Doncic, Giannis, Tatum pushing the pace
Layered on top of the team race is a brutally competitive MVP Race. Nikola Jokic continues to anchor the Denver Nuggets’ attack with nightly near Triple-Double lines – flirting with 25-plus points, double-digit rebounds, and a stack of assists, all on absurd efficiency. His ability to control tempo and punish every defensive coverage keeps Denver’s half-court offense basically unsolvable.
Luka Doncic, meanwhile, is putting up video-game Player Stats. Regular nights in the mid-30s in scoring, double-digit assists, and strong rebounding numbers have become his baseline, not his ceiling. When he gets rolling in pick-and-roll, defenses are dead on arrival; go under, and he rises into a three, switch a big, and he toys with them off the dribble, send help, and he lasers passes to shooters in the corners.
Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps the Bucks near the top of the East with relentless rim pressure and a stockpile of Double-Doubles. Even on nights when the jumper is not falling, he bends the defense so violently that his teammates dine on open looks. Tatum belongs in that top group as well; he does not always have the gaudiest raw numbers, but his two-way impact and Boston’s record strengthen his case.
Down the stretch, the MVP discussion will lean heavily on team success and high-leverage moments. Signature Game Highlights – the 40-point nights against fellow contenders, the clutch-time takeovers, the statement road wins – will weigh just as heavily as season-long averages.
Injuries and rotation moves reshaping the playoff picture
The other undercurrent to this stretch run is health. Several teams are juggling lineups to survive injuries while keeping one eye on the bracket. The Bucks and Celtics have managed occasional absences by leaning on depth, while the 76ers’ outlook hinges on how quickly Joel Embiid can ramp up to full strength and whether Tyrese Maxey can continue to shoulder a bigger scoring load.
In the West, the Clippers are again walking the familiar tightrope of load management and continuity. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George remain devastating when both are available, but small absences can cost them seeding in a hyper-competitive conference. The Suns are still fine-tuning a rotation around Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, trying to find the right mix of defense and size behind their star trio.
Every minor tweak feels oversized now. A coach gives an emerging rookie more minutes, a veteran shooter slides out of the rotation, and suddenly a team’s net rating shifts. Scouts and assistant coaches around the league are locked into synergy clips and tracking how opponents’ closing lineups evolve. This is where the chess match begins, weeks before the opening tip of the first playoff series.
What to watch next: crunch-time tests and statement games
The next few days bring a slate of must-watch matchups with clear implications for the NBA Standings. The Lakers and Warriors both face rugged schedules against teams above them, meaning every win is essentially a two-game swing in the Play-In race. Expect heavy minutes for LeBron, Davis, and Curry; the rest advantage conversation is over for these groups.
In the East, Celtics–Bucks and 76ers–top-tier showdowns will serve as measuring sticks, not only for seeding but for playoff scouting. Coaches will test specific coverages, late-game plays, and matchup data that they can stash away for April and May. Fans should watch for who guards whom in crunch time, which bigs stay on the floor, and which role players are trusted with big fourth-quarter minutes.
For anyone trying to follow the chaos in real time, the call is simple: keep one eye on the live box scores, one eye on the updated standings. The final weeks will be defined by razor-thin margins, MVP-level heroics, and the kind of pressure possessions players spend all summer training for.
The NBA standings board is tightening by the day. Stars are locked in, coaches are shortening rotations, and fanbases across the league are doing math on tiebreakers and remaining schedules. Buckle up; this stretch run is going to feel like a month-long playoff preview.
@ ad-hoc-news.de
Hol dir den Wissensvorsprung der Profis. Seit 2005 liefert der Börsenbrief trading-notes verlässliche Trading-Empfehlungen – dreimal die Woche, direkt in dein Postfach. 100% kostenlos. 100% Expertenwissen. Trage einfach deine E-Mail Adresse ein und verpasse ab heute keine Top-Chance mehr.
Jetzt anmelden.
