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

The stage is set for a thrilling playoff series between NBA legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who will face off for the first time in eight years after the final seedings were confirmed on the last night of the regular season. Six teams from both conferences secured their playoff spots, with four more teams in each conference set to compete in the play-in. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by James, locked up the fourth seed in the Western Conference, giving them home court advantage in their best-of-seven series against Durant's Houston Rockets, who are the fifth seed. The Eastern Conference saw a dramatic conclusion to the regular season, with several teams vying for a top-six spot. The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic, relegating Orlando to the eighth spot and the play-in, where they will face the Philadelphia 76ers. The winner of this matchup will advance to the first round of the playoffs, where they will meet the Celtics. The other play-in game in the East features the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets hosting the tenth-seed Miami Heat, with the winner facing the loser of the Magic-76ers matchup for the final Eastern playoff spot. "Our focus now shifts to the Philadelphia 76ers," said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley after the loss in Boston. The New York Knicks secured the third seed in the East and will meet a resurgent Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Toronto Raptors. In the West, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Sacramento Kings to earn the eighth spot and will have two chances to win one game and clinch a playoff berth. The Trail Blazers will play 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 beat the Golden State Warriors and will play them 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, who ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, defeated an under-strength Spurs to secure the third seed and set up a first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The playoff schedule is 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) Los Angeles Clippers (9) vs Golden State Warriors (10) Loser Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 Detroit Pistons (1) vs 8th seed (TBC) Boston Celtics (2) vs 7th seed (TBC) New York Knicks (3) vs Atlanta Hawks (6) Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs Toronto Raptors (5) Philadelphia 76ers (7) vs Orlando Magic (8) Charlotte Hornets (9) vs Miami Heat (10) Loser Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 This season saw a record number of points scored, with a total of 284,395 points, surpassing the previous record of 282,127. Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in the Nuggets' game against San Antonio, earning him eligibility for the NBA's award ballots. Jokic was second in last year's MVP balloting and has finished in the top two for five consecutive seasons. 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. Watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs live on Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.