The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Toronto Raptors after a confidence-building win against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, but did so this time with their starting unit on the bench despite being in striking distance from their Eastern Conference foe.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, head coach Luke Walton admitted to benching the starters after repeated failures of getting back in transition against a Raptors team that is now looking to push the ball more often, unlike their usual half court sets in prior seasons.

Walton has been trying to inculcate the right things to this young Lakers core, and while they can run the break thanks to their gifted point guard Lonzo Ball, they will need to hone-in the discipline aspects of the game if they hope to improve as a unit.

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The Lakers turned the ball over a whopping 21 times, which will happen with a team this inexperienced — but the Raptors feasted with 16 points off turnovers — a recipe for disaster in this league.

In a game where poor shooting played a part for both teams, the Lakers made enough mistakes to cost them the game down the stretch, getting outscored 56-41 in the second half, warranting the opportunity for the bench to come and finish the job.

If this loss didn't send it, Walton's benching has sent the message loud and clear — transition defense is a must if you hope to remain on the court.