Injuries are not an excuse, as the cliché goes. They are often a legitimate explanation, however.
The Pacers were without their lone All-Star Victor Oladipo and their starting center Myles Turner Friday night, and didn't have a healthy Domantas Sabonis, either. Perhaps the addition of healthy versions of those three players would have been worth at least 12 more points in their 111-100 loss to San Antonio at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
That's not the entire story, however. They didn't adjust as well as they should have to the obstacles presented by their compromised lineup, and didn't get sufficient performances from some key players.