This abysmal stat is the Lakers' biggest weakness

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This abysmal stat is the Lakers' biggest weakness originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns Thursday night, falling to their Pacific Division rivals despite the absence of both Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks.

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The loss now marks three straight and five of their last seven.

Luka Doncic did what he could offensively, scoring 41 points to go along with eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

Austin Reaves and LeBron James didn't have their best shooting nights, but still provided 14 and 15 points respectively.

Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia were the only other players to score in double-figures for Los Angeles.

In the tight three-point loss, one of the Lakers' biggest weaknesses came to light once again and it wasn't their defense.

Head coach JJ Redick continues to get minimal production from his bench due to the nature of Los Angeles' small rotation.

The Lakers scored just 25 points off the bench in Thursday's game, as opposed to 56 for the Suns. In the third quarter alone, the Suns' bench outscored the Lakers' bench 31-0.

Redick opted to play 10 players in total, but it was predominantly an eight-man rotation, with two players (Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber) playing six minutes or fewer.

Although Rui Hachimura was sidelined due to illness, this is nothing new for the Lakers this season.

As a team, they rank tied for last in bench points per game, averaging 28.9. 

It's no secret that the top three teams in the NBA (Pistons, Thunder and Spurs) all rank in the top-10, averaging no fewer than 40.5 points off the bench.

As the Western Conference playoff race heats up, the Lakers will continue to be disappointed if they decide to rely solely on their stars.

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