LeBron and Durant rivals again

The 2026 NBA postseason is about to start after the final week of regular-season play ended Sunday.

All 30 teams were in action to cap the 82-game campaign. Some top seeds sweetened an already dominant run, while bottom-dwelling teams completed their last efforts to tank for the May 10 draft lottery.

Now, there are 20 teams set and seeded to compete for a chance to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.

NBA legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant will meet in a playoff series for the first time in eight years after seedings were confirmed.

James’ LA Lakers locked up the fourth seed in the Western Conference, meaning they will have home court advantage in their best-of-seven series against Durant’s Houston Rockets, who are the fifth seed.

The big drama on Sunday night came in the Eastern Conference where the battle to secure a top-six place went down to the wire.

The Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic, which dropped Orlando into the eighth spot and the play-in - meaning they played the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night with the winner advancing directly to the first round of the playoffs, where the Celtics await.

The other play-in game in the east sees the 9th-seeded Charlotte Hornets host the 10 seed Miami Heat, with the winner meeting the loser of the Magic-76ers match-up for the final Eastern playoff place and the right to face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.

The New York Knicks locked up the No 3 seed in the east, and will meet a rejuvenated Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Toronto Raptors.

In the west, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Sacramento Kings to earn the eighth spot, and therefore will have two chances to win one game and clinch a playoff berth.

The Trail Blazers play the Phoenix Suns in the 7/8 play-in match-up, with the winner going on to face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in round one of the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, with the teams playing again in Inglewood, California, on Wednesday in the 9/10 playoff elimination game.

The winner of that game will meet the loser of the Suns vs Trail Blazers for the chance to take on defending champions as top seeds in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Denver Nuggets - who ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak - beat an under-strength Spurs to lock up the No 3 seed and set up a first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.