Lakers duo continues to rewrite history books

James and Doncic have been toying with opponents for more than just the past week. Through their first 10 games as teammates, they have combined for 517 points, 178 rebounds, 143 assists, 30 steals, 16 blocks and 58 made threes. No pair of teammates have tallied such numbers through a 10-game stretch in NBA history. 

While the volume of points, rebounds and assists was expected, nobody foresaw Doncic and James excelling together as team defenders. Doncic and James rank in the top 10 in defensive win shares as Lakers teammates over the 10-game stretch.  

With Doncic on the floor, the Lakers have helped opponents to 104.5 points per 100 possessions while allowing only 12.4 fast break points. The latter metric highlights how Doncic has excelled as a transition defender, routinely getting into passing lanes and swiping the ball. In Thursday's win, for example, he came away with four steals, including a clutch play in the overtime period. The Slovenian is averaging 1.9 steals as a Laker, a huge leap from his career average of 1.2 swipes. 

Doncic and James will continue to stuff the stat sheet as they have their entire careers. But if they remain as committed on the defensive end, the Lakers have a legitimate shot to win it all in June.