Frank Vogel has admitted that the Indiana Pacers "weren't very good" at the start of their game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Pacers were 19 points behind after the first quarter, and fell further adrift before cutting the lead to just two points in the final minute on their way to a 111-107 defeat.
The coach told ESPN: "No excuse. We played six straight teams with back-to-backs. Some of them came in with a lot of energy. I thought we played with energy but we just weren't very good early.
"You can't spot a team 23 points and expect to win. I'm proud of our fight and how they got back into it but you can't start that way."
The Pacers, who are just outside the playoff places in the Eastern Conference, face the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
