Suns vs. Pacers: Dragic sorely missed at the end of loss to Pacers

At 11-19, it has been a tough season for the Phoenix Suns and their fans. The team has struggled to find any consistency, losing five straight, winning four straight and then losing four straight in December alone. The Suns' 97-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers Friday night featured something old and something new. The old part is the losing, but Dave King of Bright Side of the Sun writes the new part was the late game execution, or lack thereof, which King links to the absence of Goran Dragic.

With Dragic at the helm, the Suns are steady in the closing minutes and find ways to get easy scores. Without him, the Suns are just as likely to turn the ball over as they are to score. When you do that, your chances of winning go in the toilet.

In the last two games, the Suns have held a fourth quarter lead against a winning team (90-86 over Knicks, 83-81 over Pacers) only to lose.

King went on to break down the Suns late game execution in games with and without Dragic, citing specific examples of how he set up easy scores for the Suns. Dragic injured his wrist, elbow, tailbone and hip thanks to a flagrant foul from Knicks guard J.R. Smith Wednesday night. He's listed as questionable for the team's game Saturday night at Minnesota. Shannon Brown started in Dragic's place vs. the Pacers, finishing with 12 points and three assists.