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

The stage is set for a thrilling NBA playoff series between legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant, marking their first encounter in eight years. The seedings have been confirmed, with James' LA Lakers securing the fourth seed in the Western Conference and Durant's Houston Rockets taking the fifth seed. This means the Lakers will have home court advantage in their best-of-seven series against the Rockets. The Eastern Conference saw intense drama on the final night of the regular season, with the Boston Celtics defeating the Orlando Magic, which dropped Orlando to the eighth spot and a play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The winner of this matchup 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 going up against 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 play the Golden State Warriors in the 9/10 playoff elimination game, with the winner meeting 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, locked up the No 3 seed and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The 2026 NBA playoffs will begin on Sky Sports on April 19, with four live games on Sky Sports Action from 6pm onwards. 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, and he joins an elite group of players with top-two finishes in five or more consecutive seasons. Jokic also won the rebounding and assist titles, averaging a triple-double for the season. The Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title with 33.5 points per game.