Entering the All-Star Break on a loss isn’t ideal, but it wasn’t a complete wash for the Indiana Pacers, who at least had some notable stretches tonight against the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets, a vastly superior team, made this a “take care of business” game in the second half, effectively shutting out the Pacers late in the third quarter to cruise to the win.
The Nuggets use a 14-2 run in the third quarter to break a 68-68 tie, eventually going up by as many as 18 in the fourth. Indiana cut that in half, but by that point there was less than a minute in the game, resulting in their fifth straight home loss on the season.