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

The stage is set for a thrilling NBA playoff series between legends Kevin Durant and LeBron James, marking their first meeting in eight years. The final night of the regular season saw six teams in each conference confirm their playoff spots, with four more teams in each conference heading to the play-in tournament. 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. 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. The Western Conference will feature the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder against the winner of the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns play-in game. The 2026 NBA playoffs will commence on April 19, with four live games on Sky Sports Action. The season also saw a record-breaking 284,395 points scored, surpassing the previous record of 282,127. Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in his 65th game, making him eligible for the NBA's award ballots, while the Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title and Jokic claimed the rebounding and assist titles.