Durant and James Set to Clash in Playoffs as NBA Seedings are Finalized

The stage is set for a highly anticipated playoff series between NBA legends Kevin Durant and LeBron James, with the two superstars facing off for the first time in eight years. The seedings were confirmed on the final night of the regular season, with James' LA Lakers securing the fourth seed in the Western Conference and Durant's Houston Rockets claiming the fifth seed. The Lakers will have home court advantage in their best-of-seven series. In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic, relegating Orlando to the eighth spot and a play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The winner will advance to the first round of the playoffs, where they will face the Celtics. The New York Knicks locked up the No 3 seed in the east and will meet the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. The Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Toronto Raptors. In the west, the Portland Trail Blazers earned the eighth spot and will play the Phoenix Suns in the 7/8 play-in match-up. The winner will face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in round one. The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors and will play again in the 9/10 playoff elimination game. The winner will meet the loser of the Suns vs Trail Blazers for a chance to take on the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Denver Nuggets ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The first-round playoff series are as follows: Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs 8th seed (TBC), San Antonio Spurs (2) vs 7th seed (TBC), Denver Nuggets (3) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs Houston Rockets (5), Phoenix Suns (7) vs Portland Trail Blazers (8), and Los Angeles Clippers (9) vs Golden State Warriors (10). In the east, the series are: Detroit Pistons (1) vs 8th seed (TBC), Boston Celtics (2) vs 7th seed (TBC), New York Knicks (3) vs Atlanta Hawks (6), and Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs Toronto Raptors (5). This season saw a record number of points scored, with a total of 284,395 points. Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in 65 games, making him eligible for the NBA's award ballots. Jokic won the rebounding and assist titles, averaging a triple-double for the season. The Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title with 33.5 points per game.