Lakers Back In Playoffs For First Time Since 2013

The Lakers' postseason drought is over.

The 16-time champions hadn’t made the playoffs since 2013, but that changed Friday after the Lakers clinched a postseason spot with a 113-103 win over Milwaukee in a matchup of the best of the Western Conference versus the best of the Eastern Conference.

“I came here to put this team and put this franchise back where they needed to be,” James said Friday. “The league is not what it is if the Lakers are not winning. And that was one of my responsibilities, one of my goals when I came here. Last year, I wasn’t able to fulfill that. Hurt me to my heart to go down on Dec. 25 with the groin injury that I had - knock on wood - but I said congratulations to Kuz (Kyle Kuzma) and to AC (Alex Caruso).

“It’s their first time that they’ll be in the postseason. It’s just anytime throughout the course of the season when you have little milestones and you’re able to acknowledge that, it’s a good step in the [right] direction for the franchise.”

LeBron James - who didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in his career in his inaugural season with the Lakers - had a magnificent game offensively and defensively against the Bucks. With Anthony Davis in foul trouble, he took over guarding Giannis Antetokuonmpo in the second half and held the reigning MVP to one-for-six shooting from beyond the three-point line. James had 37 points, while Antetokuonmpo had 32. Davis had 30 points.

The star-powered duo of James and Davis looked playoff-ready, as did role players such as Caruso, who had eight points, three rebounds and one block.

“It’s definitely gratifying just because I’ve worked so hard to get here," Caruso said. "And me and Kuz have been here, I think, tenured the longest. We’ve seen some of the low points, to now actually being on the come up and getting back to where everyone expects the Lakers organization to be. It’s very fun. And to be in the mix of it just makes it that much better.”

After missing the postseason the last six seasons, the Lakers (48-13) clinched a playoff spot before mid-March and are just two victories away from 50 wins.

“We did?” Davis asked of clinching a playoff spot. “That means a lot. We are one step closer to our goal. It’s definitely a huge accomplishment for us, for our guys, guys like Kuz that will be in the playoffs for the first time. But we’ve still got a long way to go, still got a lot of work to do and still got a lot to get better at.”

The Lakers last won an NBA championship in 2010, which was the fifth and final title of Kobe Bryant’s career.