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

The stage is set for a thrilling NBA playoff series between basketball legends Kevin Durant and LeBron James, marking their first meeting in the postseason in eight years. The seedings were confirmed on the final night of the regular season, with six teams in each conference securing their playoff spots and four more set to compete in the play-in tournament. James' Los Angeles Lakers claimed the fourth seed in the Western Conference, earning home court advantage in their best-of-seven series against Durant's Houston Rockets, who secured the fifth seed. In the Eastern Conference, a dramatic finale saw the Boston Celtics defeat the Orlando Magic, relegating Orlando to the eighth spot and a play-in matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. The winner will advance to face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. 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 earned the eighth spot and will play the Phoenix Suns in the 7/8 play-in game, with the winner facing the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The Los Angeles Clippers will meet the Golden State Warriors in a 9/10 playoff elimination game, with the winner facing the loser of the Suns vs Trail Blazers matchup for a chance to take on the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The Denver Nuggets, who ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, locked up the third seed and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The 2026 NBA playoffs will begin on April 19, with four live games on Sky Sports Action. The Western Conference Finals will also be shown live on Sky Sports from May 20. This season saw a record number of points scored, with 284,395 points surpassing the previous record of 282,127. 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 the rebounding and assist titles.