Durant and James Set to Clash in Playoffs as Seedings Are Finalized

The stage is set for a highly anticipated playoff series between NBA legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant, marking their first meeting in the postseason in eight years. This comes after the final seedings were confirmed on the last night of the regular season, with six teams in each conference securing their playoff spots and four more teams in each conference heading to the play-in tournament. James' Los Angeles Lakers secured the fourth seed in the Western Conference, earning them home court advantage in their best-of-seven series against Durant's Houston Rockets, who claimed the fifth seed. The Eastern Conference saw intense drama on the final night of the regular season, with several teams vying for a top-six spot. The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic, relegating the Magic to the eighth spot and a play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The winner of this matchup will advance to the first round of the playoffs, where they will face the Celtics. The other play-in game in the Eastern Conference features the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets hosting the tenth-seeded Miami Heat, with the winner meeting the loser of the Magic-76ers game for the final Eastern playoff spot and a chance to face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley emphasized the importance of focusing on the upcoming game against the 76ers, stating, 'This one is done. You've got to make sure you focus your time and your attention and your energy all on the Philadelphia 76ers right now.' The New York Knicks locked up the third seed in the East and will face a rejuvenated Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, while the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Toronto Raptors. In the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers earned the eighth spot by defeating the Sacramento Kings and will have two chances to win one game and secure a playoff berth. They will face the Phoenix Suns in the 7/8 play-in matchup, with the winner advancing to face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors and will play them again in the 9/10 playoff elimination game, with the winner meeting the loser of the Suns vs. Trail Blazers for a chance to take on the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Denver Nuggets, who ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, beat a depleted Spurs team to secure the third seed and set up a first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The first-round playoff matchups are as follows: Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. the eighth seed, San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. the seventh seed, Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6), and Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5). The play-in tournament will feature the Phoenix Suns (7) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (8) and the Los Angeles Clippers (9) vs. Golden State Warriors (10), with the winner of each game advancing to the next round. In the Eastern Conference, the play-in tournament will feature the Philadelphia 76ers (7) vs. Orlando Magic (8) and the Charlotte Hornets (9) vs. Miami Heat (10). This season saw a record number of points scored, surpassing the previous record of 282,127 points with a final total of 284,395 points. Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in the Nuggets' game against the Spurs, making him eligible for the NBA's award ballots. Jokic finished the season with 65 games played, securing his spot on the award ballots. He was second in last year's MVP balloting behind Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, making him the third player in NBA history with a top-two finish in five or more consecutive seasons, joining Boston Celtics greats Bill Russell and Larry Bird. Jokic won MVP in 2021, 2023, and 2024 and was second in 2022 and last year. The Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title with 33.5 points per game, while Jokic won both the rebounding and assist titles, averaging a triple-double for the season. The 2026 NBA Playoffs will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with the option to stream with no contract on NOW.