NBA Standings shake-up: LeBron’s Lakers surge, Tatum’s Celtics hold firm while Curry keeps Warriors in the hunt
16.02.2026 - 07:56:17
The NBA standings tightened again after the latest slate of games, with LeBron James and the Lakers clawing for every inch in the Western race, Jayson Tatum keeping the Celtics steady at the top of the East, and Stephen Curry doing just enough to keep the Warriors relevant in the Play-In picture. The margins are razor-thin, the playoff picture is shifting by the hour, and every possession suddenly feels like April, not midseason basketball.
[Check live stats & scores here]
Last night’s drama: statement wins and survival mode
LeBron’s Lakers did not play beautiful basketball, but they played winning basketball. In classic LeBron fashion, he controlled tempo, hunted matchups and turned the fourth quarter into a half-court clinic. His line was vintage: flirting with a triple-double, stuffing the box score with points, rebounds and assists while orchestrating every key possession in crunch time. The Lakers’ defense tightened late, cutting off driving lanes and forcing contested jumpers from downtown to close out a gritty win that keeps them in striking distance of the upper half of the West bracket.
On the other side of the country, the Celtics felt like a machine that simply refuses to wobble. Jayson Tatum, backed by Jaylen Brown and a deep rotation, once again dictated the flow. Tatum attacked mismatches, got to his spots at the elbows and from the wing, and made the right reads when the help came. Boston’s spacing and ball movement stretched the defense to the breaking point, and even when the offense cooled, their switch-heavy defense kept the lid on. It was the kind of workmanlike victory that does not trend on social media but wins you the 1-seed.
Then there is Stephen Curry, still the loudest heartbeat in the Bay. Golden State’s margin for error is slim, but Curry’s shooting gravity changes the math. Even on an off shooting night, his off-ball movement created open looks for role players and bigs diving to the rim. When the game tightened in the fourth, he dialed up a couple of deep threes from way beyond the arc, the type of shots that flip momentum and feel like a five-point swing. The Warriors are not scaring the top of the West yet, but thanks to Curry, no one wants to see them in a single-elimination Play-In game.
Coaches leaned into the urgency in their postgame comments. The Lakers’ staff talked about "possession basketball" and the need to value every trip, while Boston’s locker room kept coming back to the idea of "habits" and "playoff reps" built in February and March. Out West, the Warriors emphasized pace, spacing and staying connected defensively, knowing that one bad week could push them outside the Play-In range entirely.
Current NBA standings: who controls the race?
The top of the NBA standings now reflects three different storylines: dominance, depth and desperation. Boston is playing the long game, stacking wins and banking home-court advantage. In the West, the race feels much more volatile with multiple contenders and a crowded middle tier where a two-game slide can drop you from home court to the Play-In.
Here is a compact look at how the top of each conference and the critical Play-In zone are shaping up right now based on the latest results from NBA.com and ESPN:
| East Rank | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | Firm grip on top seed |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Chasing, defensive questions |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Health-dependent contender |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Quietly rising |
| 5 | New York Knicks | Physical, playoff-ready |
| 7–10 | Play-In mix | Heat, Pacers, others battling |
| West Rank | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | Jokic-driven, tested champ |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Young, fearless, hungry |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Elite defense, size problem |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | Star power, chemistry watch |
| 5 | L.A. Lakers | Surging, but no safety net |
| 7–10 | Warriors, others | Play-In volatility |
Boston’s spot at the top of the East looks secure for now. Their net rating, depth across all five positions and the way they can toggle lineups without losing identity screams contender. Milwaukee, by contrast, keeps riding individual brilliance while trying to iron out defensive issues. That opens the door for teams like the 76ers and Cavaliers to dream bigger if they can stay healthy and consistent.
In the West, Denver’s experience shows in late-game execution; they simply do not panic. Oklahoma City, behind a breakout star leading an efficient offense and switchable defense, keeps punching above its age. Minnesota’s physicality and rim protection make every game a grind. The Clippers have the most star-level shot creation outside of Denver, but their health and lineup combinations remain the long-term question.
The Lakers and Warriors stand in that stressful middle ground. The latest victory keeps Los Angeles on an upward trajectory, but the cushion is thin. One bad week and they are at risk of dropping back into the murky lower Play-In spots. Golden State, sitting in or near that Play-In range, is living possession to possession, knowing that a single late turnover or blown coverage can swing not just a game, but potentially their entire postseason fate.
Player stats and MVP race: who is driving the narrative?
The MVP race keeps orbiting around the same core of superstars, but the nightly grind continues to shuffle perceptions. Jayson Tatum’s case rests on elite two-way impact and the league’s best record. His scoring has been efficient, his playmaking sharper and his late-game decision-making more poised. He may not always have the loudest single-game box score, but the total package is undeniable when you overlay his numbers with Boston’s dominance in the NBA standings.
LeBron James remains a numbers machine well into his 21st season, stringing together near triple-doubles on high efficiency. His player stats are less about empty volume and more about context. When the Lakers offense stalls, he becomes the de facto point guard. When the defense bleeds, he calls out coverages, directs traffic and still finds energy to chase down blocks in transition. The MVP conversation might lean toward players with stronger seeds, but LeBron’s impact is impossible to ignore.
Stephen Curry is still a nightly explosion waiting to happen. His player stats are skewed by the sheer difficulty of his shot diet. Pull-ups from 30 feet, off-the-dribble threes against double-teams, deep attempts in transition – these are built into Golden State’s identity. Defenses trap him, blitz him, top-lock him off the ball, yet he still bends coverage enough to free up teammates for easy buckets. When the Warriors win, it is almost always Curry setting the tone.
Out West, another MVP favorite continues to put up absurd box scores, stacking triple-doubles while anchoring an offense that hums through every read and every cut. The combination of scoring touch, vision and rebounding has reached the point where a 30-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist night barely raises eyebrows. That is how normalized greatness has become at the top of this race.
Elsewhere, young stars are climbing into the conversation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become a late-game assassin, living in the midrange and at the free throw line, using pace changes to keep defenders off balance. In the East, big guards and scoring wings continue to post monster stat lines, but the standings and the health of co-stars will ultimately shape their MVP arguments as much as raw numbers.
Injuries, depth charts and the playoff picture
The most fragile part of any contender’s story is health. Across the league, injury reports before tip-off feel as important as lineups. A single star sitting with a sore hamstring or a tweaked ankle can swing seeding by a game or two once the dust settles. Coaches are trying to walk the tightrope of maintaining rhythm while not burning out their best players before the real grind starts.
Front offices are equally on edge, especially for teams hovering around the Play-In range. Every game becomes a mini-audition: can this role player handle crunch-time minutes, can this small-ball lineup survive on the glass, can this defensive specialist hit just enough open threes to stay playable in a seven-game series? The answers will shape rotations when the postseason lights come on.
For the Lakers and Warriors, depth is both a blessing and a challenge. Los Angeles has found lineups that maximize LeBron’s playmaking and Anthony Davis’ rim protection, but foul trouble or a minor injury can quickly force them into uncomfortable combinations. Golden State keeps toggling between small, shooting-heavy groups and bigger units that can hold up defensively. Every tweak changes who touches the ball, who sets the screens and where Curry operates on the floor.
In the East, Boston’s depth looks like a cheat code. They can go big, small, switch-heavy or drop-based on matchup. Milwaukee and Philadelphia have higher leverage resting on a smaller core, which makes every injury update a mini shockwave through the playoff picture. One bad MRI and a contender can slide toward the middle of the bracket overnight.
What comes next: must-watch games and shifting stakes
The next few days will feel like a stress test for the entire league. Marquee matchups between contenders will double as tiebreaker battlegrounds. When the Celtics run into another top-tier East opponent, it will be more than just a measuring stick – it could decide who has home court in a possible second-round clash. Out West, every game between the Lakers, Warriors and the teams around them in the NBA standings will feel like a pre-Play-In showdown.
Fans should circle games where star guards face off against elite wing defenders, where bigs with MVP résumés duel on the glass, and where late-game playcalling will be dissected in slow motion on film the morning after. These are the nights when narratives shift: an MVP favorite drops 40 with a game-winner, a fringe All-Star explodes for a career-high, or a role player becomes a cult hero with a series of hustle plays that swing a game.
The playoff picture is not set, but the outlines are clear. Boston remains the pace car in the East. Denver and a couple of rising powers in the West are jostling for pole position. The Lakers, Warriors and a few others are in survival mode, fighting every night to stay on the right side of the cut line. With each new slate of games, the NBA standings will continue to twist, and the line between contender, pretender and dangerous underdog will blur just a little more.
If this week’s action is any indication, the intensity is only going up from here. Lock in on the marquee slates, track the live scores, and keep one eye on the injury reports. The season is drifting out of the marathon phase and straight into a sprint for seeding, and nobody wants to be the team that eases off the gas at exactly the wrong time.
@ ad-hoc-news.de
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