Durant and James Set to Clash in Playoffs as NBA Seeding is Finalized

The stage is set for a thrilling NBA playoff series between legendary players LeBron James and Kevin Durant, marking their first matchup in eight years. The final night of the regular season saw the confirmation of seedings, with six teams in each conference securing their playoff spots and four more preparing for the play-in. James' LA Lakers claimed the fourth seed in the Western Conference, earning home court advantage against Durant's Houston Rockets, who landed the fifth seed. The Eastern Conference witnessed intense drama as the battle for a top-six spot went down to the wire. The Boston Celtics' victory over the Orlando Magic pushed Orlando into the eighth spot and the play-in, where they will face the Philadelphia 76ers. The winner will advance to the first round of the playoffs, where the Celtics await. Other notable matchups include the New York Knicks facing the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the Toronto Raptors. In the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers secured the eighth spot and will play the Phoenix Suns in the 7/8 play-in game. The Denver Nuggets, who ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The Oklahoma City Thunder, defending champions, will take on the winner of the play-in game. The 2026 NBA playoffs will begin on April 19, with four live games on Sky Sports Action. Notably, this season saw more points scored than any other in NBA history, with a total of 284,395 points. Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in 65 games, making him eligible for the NBA's award ballots, while the Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title, and Jokic won both the rebounding and assist titles.