The OKC Thunder are threatening to lead the West from wire to wire this season. They have staved off the surging San Antonio Spurs and the Denver Nuggets for conference domination, but a new threat has seemingly emerged out of nowhere in the most terrifying way.
The Los Angeles Lakers are 13-1 in their last 14 games and have elevated themselves to the three seed in the conference standings. Superstar Luka Doncic has reached superhuman heights in the scoring department, but his offense might not even be the reason for LA's recent dominance.
While the Lakers have risen from outside the top-10 to eighth in offensive rating due to their recent surge, their greatest strides have been on defense.