As the Indiana Pacers lose their seventh straight game, this time to the short-handed Phoenix Suns, it’s worth looking at the score quarter by quarter. The Pacers lost the first quarter 29-27, tied the second 30-30, lost the third 28-26, and lost the fourth 25-24. That brings the grand total to five points.
It really wasn’t just that the Pacers lost (or tied) each quarter, it’s how poorly they closed them. Phoenix was the last team to score in each period, effectively scoring the final 16 points of quarters, which turns out to make a big difference in a five-point game.