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

The stage is set for a thrilling NBA playoff series as legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant are poised to meet for the first time in eight years, following the confirmation of seedings on the final night of the regular season. Six teams in both conferences have secured their playoff spots, with four more teams in each conference set to compete in the play-in tournament. James' LA Lakers have locked up the fourth seed in the Western Conference, giving them home court advantage in their best-of-seven series against Durant's Houston Rockets, who are the fifth seed. The Eastern Conference saw a dramatic conclusion to the regular season, with the Boston Celtics defeating the Orlando Magic, resulting in Orlando dropping to the eighth spot and the play-in tournament. They will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, with the winner advancing to the first round of the playoffs to meet the Celtics. The other play-in game in the East features the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets hosting the tenth-seeded Miami Heat, with the winner meeting the loser of the Magic-76ers matchup for the final Eastern playoff spot and a chance to face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. "Our focus is now on the Philadelphia 76ers," said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley after the loss in Boston. The New York Knicks have secured the third seed in the East and will meet a resurgent Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, while the Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Toronto Raptors. In the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Sacramento Kings to earn the eighth spot and a chance to win one game and clinch a playoff berth. They will face the Phoenix Suns in the 7/8 play-in matchup, with the winner advancing to meet Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors and will meet again in the 9/10 playoff elimination game, with the winner facing 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, defeated an under-strength Spurs to secure the third seed and set up a first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The first round of the playoffs will see the following matchups: Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs 8th seed (TBC) San Antonio Spurs (2) vs Portland Trail Blazers (7) Denver Nuggets (3) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (6) Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs Houston Rockets (5) The play-in tournament will feature the following games: Phoenix Suns (7) vs Portland Trail Blazers (8) Los Angeles Clippers (9) vs Golden State Warriors (10) The winner of the Clippers-Warriors game will meet the loser of the Suns-Trail Blazers matchup. In the Eastern Conference, the play-in tournament will feature the following games: Philadelphia 76ers (7) vs Orlando Magic (8) Charlotte Hornets (9) vs Miami Heat (10) The winner of the Magic-76ers game will advance to the first round of the playoffs, while the winner of the Hornets-Heat game will meet the loser of the Magic-76ers matchup for the final Eastern playoff spot. The 2026 NBA playoffs will begin on Sky Sports on 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 show all of the Western Conference Finals live from May 20. This season saw a record number of points scored, with 284,395 points, surpassing the previous record of 282,127 points. Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in the Nuggets' game against San Antonio, earning him eligibility for the NBA's award ballots. Jokic was second in last year's MVP voting and has finished in the top two for five consecutive seasons, joining Bill Russell and Larry Bird as the only players to achieve this feat. Jokic won the MVP award in 2021, 2023, and 2024, and was second in 2022 and last year. The Lakers' Luka Doncic won the scoring title with an average of 33.5 points per game, while Jokic won 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, or stream with no contract on NOW.