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, marking their first postseason encounter in eight years. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by James, secured the fourth seed in the Western Conference, earning home-court advantage in their best-of-seven series against Durant's Houston Rockets, who claimed the fifth seed. The final night of the regular season saw six teams in both conferences confirm their playoff spots, with four more teams in each conference set to compete in the play-in tournament. In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic, relegating Orlando to the eighth spot and a play-in matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. The winner will advance to the first round of the playoffs, where they will face the Celtics. The Charlotte Hornets will host the Miami Heat in the other Eastern Conference play-in game, with the winner meeting the loser of the Magic-76ers matchup for the final playoff spot in the East. "We need to focus on the Philadelphia 76ers now," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the loss in Boston. The New York Knicks locked up the third seed in the East and will face a resurgent Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Toronto Raptors. In the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Sacramento Kings to claim the eighth spot and a play-in matchup against the Phoenix Suns. The winner will advance 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 meet again in the 9/10 playoff elimination game. The winner will face the loser of the Suns-Trail Blazers matchup 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 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, making him eligible for the NBA's award ballots. Jokic finished the season with 65 games played, making him a strong contender for the MVP award. Jokic has now joined an elite group of players, including Bill Russell and Larry Bird, who have finished in the top two of the MVP balloting in five or more consecutive seasons. The Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title with an average of 33.5 points per game, while Jokic won both the rebounding and assist titles, averaging 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. Watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.