NBA Standings Update: Early Season Leaders & LeBron’s Historic Return

As teams sit around 1/5 the way through the season, here are the Early Rankings for the 4 home court playoff seeds along with the top contender from each conference:

NBA 2025-26 — Early Top 5 Conference Standings Snapshot

Eastern Conference

Seed	Team	Record
1	Detroit Pistons	13-2
2	Toronto Raptors	11-5
3	Cleveland Cavaliers	11-6
4	New York Knicks	9-5
5	Miami Heat	10-6

Western Conference

Seed	Team	Record
1	Oklahoma City Thunder	16-1
2	Denver Nuggets	12-3
3	Los Angeles Lakers	11-4
4	San Antonio Spurs	11-4
5	Houston Rockets	10-4

LeBron James Returns for the Record Books

LeBron James officially began his 23rd NBA season, making him the first player in league history to reach that mark. Although he missed the first 14 games with sciatica, his return was met with fanfare and raised the question: Can the 40-year-old continue at a high level, alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves?

The Lakers and the entire league will be watching closely as LeBron pushes boundaries yet again, as his opening night produced 11 points, 12 assists and 3 rebound, already getting on the double double board.

Pregame Sports Bar Crawl: Las Vegas Edition

Experience the excitement of the game like never before with our Pregame Sports pub crawl in Las Vegas! Join fellow sports fans for exclusive drink specials at some of the city's best sports bars. It's the ultimate way to gear up for game night, whether you're repping your squad or just in it for the fun. Stay tuned for upcoming dates and exclusive deals!