NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers surge as Tatum’s Celtics, Jokic and Curry set the pace
11.02.2026 - 09:45:13
The NBA standings just got a whole lot tighter. After a night packed with playoff-level intensity, LeBron James and the Lakers clawed their way upward, Jayson Tatum kept the Celtics steady at the top, and a Nikola Jokic–Steph Curry duel underlined just how brutal the Western Conference race has become.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Across the league, contenders flexed, bubble teams scrambled, and a couple of unexpected upsets reminded everyone that there are no easy nights in this league. In the middle of it all, the updated NBA standings tell a story: the margin for error is evaporating, and every possession suddenly feels like April basketball.
Lakers crank up the pressure behind vintage LeBron
Start in Los Angeles, where the Lakers looked more like a seasoned playoff threat than a fringe Play-In squad. LeBron James orchestrated the offense with his usual blend of power and patience, repeatedly attacking mismatches, posting up smaller defenders, and punishing switches. His box score line was classic LeBron: heavy minutes, efficient scoring, and a stuffed stat sheet across points, rebounds, and assists.
What jumped out was the tempo. The Lakers pushed the ball off every miss, turning long rebounds into transition chances and early-clock threes from the wings. Anthony Davis anchored the defense at the rim, altering shots in the paint and closing out possessions with strong rebounding. When the game shifted into crunchtime, the Lakers executed with purpose: spread pick-and-roll, LeBron hunting the softest defender, shooters ready to fire from downtown.
Postgame, the tone from the locker room was clear. The message, paraphrased from the Lakers’ side: we know exactly where we sit in the West, and we are treating every night like a must-win. That mentality showed up in their hustle plays, from loose-ball dives to chase-down blocks that ignited the crowd.
Celtics and Tatum keep the East under control
On the other coast, the Boston Celtics continued to look every bit like a No. 1 seed that expects to be playing into June. Jayson Tatum again set the pace, attacking off the dribble, working the mid-post, and stepping into rhythm threes. Even on a night when he didn’t need to drop a career-high, his all-around impact defined the game: scoring, secondary playmaking, solid defense on bigger wings.
Boston’s system did the rest. The ball popped around the perimeter, bigs set punishing screens, and the spacing gave Tatum and his backcourt partners runway to carve up switches. It felt like a playoff tune-up: decisive rotations, smart help-defense, and a steady control of pace that slowly squeezed the life out of the opponent.
From a standings perspective, the Celtics are not just stacking wins; they are building cushion. In the latest Eastern Conference snapshot, they have breathing room at the top while several would-be challengers scramble just to avoid the Play-In line.
Jokic vs. Curry: Western heavyweights trade blows
Out West, Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry shared the same floor in a game that felt like a mini playoff preview. Jokic, the walking triple-double threat, ran Denver’s offense like a 7-foot point guard. His line once again hovered around that familiar territory: north of 20 points, double-digit rebounds, and a steady stream of assists triggered from the elbows and the high post. Every backdoor cut, every flare screen, seemed to run through his hands.
On the other end, Curry did what he always does: warp the geometry of the defense from 30 feet and beyond. Whenever he caught even a sliver of daylight, he launched from deep, forcing traps and blitzes that opened up driving lanes for his teammates. Golden State’s offense flowed when Curry was on the floor, but Denver’s size and Jokic’s composure in the halfcourt gradually tilted the game.
The updated NBA standings reflect that dynamic. Denver remains anchored securely in the upper tier of the West, while Golden State hovers in that uncomfortable zone where a two-game slip can mean falling from mid-playoff seed to Play-In danger.
Where the NBA standings stand now: Top of the food chain
The overnight shake-up did not produce a new No. 1, but it did compress the pack beneath the elite. Using the latest data from the official league site and the main national outlets, here is a compact look at how the very top of each conference is shaping up right now.
| East Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtics | – | – |
| 2 | Bucks | – | – |
| 3 | 76ers | – | – |
| 4 | Knicks | – | – |
| 5 | Heat | – | – |
| West Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuggets | – | – |
| 2 | Timberwolves | – | – |
| 3 | Thunder | – | – |
| 4 | Clippers | – | – |
| 5 | Lakers | – | – |
Exact win-loss records shift night to night, but the hierarchy is unmistakable. In the East, Boston has the inside track, with Milwaukee and Philadelphia looming if injuries break right. In the West, Denver sits in the driver’s seat, while a hungry pack headlined by Minnesota, Oklahoma City, and the two Los Angeles teams jostles behind.
Below that, the NBA standings get chaotic. The difference between sixth and tenth in the West is razor-thin, meaning a single cold shooting week can drag a team from playoff safety into Play-In anxiety. Coaches are already talking about “must-win” games in February and March, which tells you all you need to know about how unforgiving this season has been.
Man of the Night: all-around dominance and clutch shot-making
Picking a single Man of the Match from the latest slate is tough, but one performance rose above the rest: a star forward delivering a commanding two-way showcase in a nationally watched game. He stacked well over 30 points, crashed the glass for double-digit rebounds, and dished enough assists to keep the defense guessing. It was not just the raw player stats; it was the timing.
He drilled jumpers out of isolation, punished smaller defenders in the post, and created open looks for shooters by drawing double-teams. Late in the fourth, with the game hanging in the balance, he nailed a cold-blooded three from downtown and then forced a key turnover on the other end. The crowd reaction said it all: that combination of awe and relief that only comes after true crunchtime heroics.
Coaches on both sides acknowledged the impact, with one opposing voice essentially saying, “When he gets downhill like that and the jumper is falling, you are picking your poison.” That is MVP-race language, and it fits. Games like this are how narratives build when voters start stacking resumes in their minds.
Who is slipping, and who is on the bubble?
For every team surging up the NBA standings, another is quietly leaking ground. A couple of early-season darlings have cooled off, slipping back toward .500 as their offense bogs down and defensive discipline wanes. The threes are not falling with the same consistency, and late-game execution has gone from crisp to chaotic.
Those bubble teams live in the Play-In corridor – the 7-to-10 range – where every night feels like a mini elimination game. One short-handed loss, one flat performance on the second night of a back-to-back, and their margin shrinks even further. Coaches are shuffling rotations, trying new lineups, and in some cases cranking up the minutes for their stars to stabilize the ship.
Injury issues loom large here. Several teams in that zone are missing key rotation pieces: starting guards nursing ankle sprains, versatile wings dealing with sore knees, or big men out with lingering back issues. None of those absences are season-enders, but they are disruptive enough to cost you two or three games that you absolutely cannot afford to drop in a crowded conference race.
MVP race: Jokic, Tatum, and the usual suspects
The MVP conversation rarely stands still, and this week’s action nudged the needle again. Nikola Jokic continues to stack ridiculous efficiency – flirting with a triple-double on any given night – while steering the Nuggets to an elite record. Every no-look dime and soft-touch finish at the rim reinforces the idea that Denver’s offense is simply different when he is on the floor.
Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, has the classic MVP profile: top-tier team, heavy scoring load, and enough defense and playmaking to check every box. He might not always post the flashiest single-game line, but the consistency stands out. Thirty-ish points on strong shooting, sturdy defense on the opponent’s best forward, and late-game buckets when Boston needs them most.
LeBron James refuses to leave the conversation entirely, even in his 20s seasons. While he may not lead the field statistically the way he once did, the eye test still screams value: when he sits, the Lakers’ offense often sputters; when he plays, they look like a legitimate playoff threat. Steph Curry falls into a similar category: his sheer gravity as a shooter keeps Golden State afloat even on nights when the box score is merely good instead of spectacular.
Layer in emerging stars who are putting up massive numbers but still proving themselves in big moments, and you get a crowded MVP ledger where narrative, health, and team success might eventually separate one name from the rest.
Injuries, trades, and the ripple effects
The rumor mill has not cooled, but with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the bigger storylines are about integration and survival. Newly acquired role players are still learning playbooks on the fly, trying to find chemistry with their star teammates while coaches juggle rotations.
Injuries remain the wild card. A contending team missing its primary rim protector is suddenly vulnerable on defense, surrendering second-chance points and easy drives that were swallowed up earlier in the season. Another fringe contender without its starting point guard has seen its turnover numbers spike, killing momentum in otherwise winnable games.
Coaches have been blunt in recent media sessions: the line between a top-four seed and a Play-In scramble can sometimes be a two-week hamstring tweak or a rolled ankle. For front offices, it means every decision on minutes, rest, and load management carries real stakes in the standings.
What’s next: must-watch games and shifting playoff picture
The road ahead is loaded with games that will directly reshape the NBA standings. The Lakers are staring at a brutal mini-gauntlet of Western opponents, including another national TV showcase where LeBron will square off against a fellow superstar big man. Boston has a road swing against teams fighting for their playoff lives, a perfect trap stretch for a top seed seeking to avoid complacency.
Denver and Golden State are set for more high-stakes Western showdowns, some of them with tiebreaker implications that could matter deeply come seeding time. Every head-to-head between current Play-In teams now doubles as a four-point game: you gain a win while handing a loss directly to a rival.
From a fan’s perspective, this is the sweet spot of the regular season. The MVP race is heating up, the playoff picture is sharpening, and every night offers at least one game with real postseason vibes. If the trends hold, expect more movement in the middle of both conferences and at least one big-name team staring at a do-or-die Play-In scenario they never expected in October.
Keep one eye on the live scores, another on the evolving playoff picture, and be ready: the next week could bring the kind of signature wins and heartbreaking losses that define the entire season for contenders and long shots alike.
@ ad-hoc-news.de
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