The Pacers looked lifeless for most of the matchup on Thursday night — save for a stretch in the 3rd quarter — and slipped to within a game of bouncing out of the playoff hunt. The Chicago Bulls are only a game behind the Pacers while the Detroit Pistons are a full game ahead of Indiana now.
The loss might be the last straw for fans that hoped somehow, someway, Indiana was going to finally get its acted together before the regular season’s end. Playoffs or not, the Pacers have shown their limited ceiling for this season.