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

The stage is set for a highly anticipated NBA playoff series between legends Kevin Durant and LeBron James, with the seedings now confirmed following the conclusion of the regular season. A total of six teams in both conferences have secured their playoff spots, while four additional teams in each conference are slated for the play-in tournament. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by James, have locked up the fourth seed in the Western Conference, thereby gaining home court advantage in their best-of-seven series against Durant's Houston Rockets, who have secured the fifth seed. The Eastern Conference witnessed significant drama on the final night of regular season games, as the battle for a top-six spot went down to the wire. The Boston Celtics emerged victorious against the Orlando Magic, which resulted in Orlando dropping to the eighth spot and being relegated to the play-in tournament. Consequently, they will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, with the winner advancing directly to the first round of the playoffs to 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 set to meet the loser of the Magic-76ers matchup for the final Eastern playoff spot and the opportunity to face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. "Our focus now shifts entirely to the Philadelphia 76ers," said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley after the loss in Boston. The New York Knicks have secured the third seed in the Eastern Conference and will face a resurgent Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face the Toronto Raptors. In the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Sacramento Kings to earn the eighth spot, granting them two chances to win one game and clinch a playoff berth. The Trail Blazers 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 on Sunday and will play them again on Wednesday in the 9/10 playoff elimination game. The winner of this game will meet the loser of the Suns vs Trail Blazers for the chance to take on the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are the top seeds in the West. The Denver Nuggets, who concluded the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, defeated a depleted Spurs team to secure the third seed and set up a first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 2026 NBA playoffs will commence on Sky Sports this Sunday, April 19, with four live games on Sky Sports Action from 6pm onwards. All timings are listed in British Summer Time: 6pm - East No 7 seed @ Boston Celtics (2) 8.30pm - West No 8 seed @ Oklahoma City Thunder (1) 11pm - East No 8 seed @ Detroit Pistons (1) 2am - Portland Trail Blazers (7) @ San Antonio Spurs (2) Sky Sports will also broadcast all of the Western Conference Finals live from May 20. This season has seen more points scored than any other in NBA history, surpassing the previous record of 282,127 points on Sunday evening. The final total for the season stands at 284,395 points. Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in the Nuggets' game against San Antonio on Sunday night, pushing his total to 65 games for the season and rendering him eligible for the NBA's award ballots. Jokic was the runner-up in last year's MVP balloting behind Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, making him the third player in NBA history to achieve a top-two finish in five or more consecutive seasons, joining the likes of Bill Russell and Larry Bird. Jokic won the MVP award in 2021, 2023, and 2024, and was the runner-up in 2022 and last year. Russell and Bird, both Boston Celtics greats, each finished first or second in the balloting in six consecutive seasons. The Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title with an average of 33.5 points per game, while Jokic secured both the rebounding and assist titles, averaging 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, respectively, to complete another season with a triple-double average. Watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.