diff --git a/indexing-service/src/main/java/io/druid/indexing/common/actions/SegmentAllocateAction.java b/indexing-service/src/main/java/io/druid/indexing/common/actions/SegmentAllocateAction.java
index c966131ab3c..54dae487ffc 100644
--- a/indexing-service/src/main/java/io/druid/indexing/common/actions/SegmentAllocateAction.java
+++ b/indexing-service/src/main/java/io/druid/indexing/common/actions/SegmentAllocateAction.java
@@ -24,13 +24,12 @@ import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.type.TypeReference;
 import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import com.google.common.base.Throwables;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
-import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
-
-import io.druid.java.util.common.granularity.Granularity;
 import io.druid.indexing.common.TaskLock;
 import io.druid.indexing.common.task.Task;
 import io.druid.indexing.overlord.IndexerMetadataStorageCoordinator;
 import io.druid.java.util.common.IAE;
+import io.druid.java.util.common.StringUtils;
+import io.druid.java.util.common.granularity.Granularity;
 import io.druid.java.util.common.logger.Logger;
 import io.druid.segment.realtime.appenderator.SegmentIdentifier;
 import io.druid.timeline.DataSegment;
@@ -40,6 +39,7 @@ import org.joda.time.Interval;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 /**
  * Allocates a pending segment for a given timestamp. The preferredSegmentGranularity is used if there are no prior
@@ -148,54 +148,22 @@ public class SegmentAllocateAction implements TaskAction<SegmentIdentifier>
       // 1) if something overlaps our timestamp, use that
       // 2) otherwise try preferredSegmentGranularity & going progressively smaller
 
-      final List<Interval> tryIntervals = Lists.newArrayList();
-
       final Interval rowInterval = queryGranularity.bucket(timestamp);
 
       final Set<DataSegment> usedSegmentsForRow = ImmutableSet.copyOf(
           msc.getUsedSegmentsForInterval(dataSource, rowInterval)
       );
 
-      if (usedSegmentsForRow.isEmpty()) {
-        // No existing segments for this row, but there might still be nearby ones that conflict with our preferred
-        // segment granularity. Try that first, and then progressively smaller ones if it fails.
-        for (Granularity gran : Granularity.granularitiesFinerThan(preferredSegmentGranularity)) {
-          tryIntervals.add(gran.bucket(timestamp));
-        }
-      } else {
-        // Existing segment(s) exist for this row; use the interval of the first one.
-        tryIntervals.add(usedSegmentsForRow.iterator().next().getInterval());
-      }
-
-      for (final Interval tryInterval : tryIntervals) {
-        if (tryInterval.contains(rowInterval)) {
-          log.debug(
-              "Trying to allocate pending segment for rowInterval[%s], segmentInterval[%s].",
-              rowInterval,
-              tryInterval
-          );
-          final TaskLock tryLock = toolbox.getTaskLockbox().tryLock(task, tryInterval).orNull();
-          if (tryLock != null) {
-            final SegmentIdentifier identifier = msc.allocatePendingSegment(
-                dataSource,
-                sequenceName,
-                previousSegmentId,
-                tryInterval,
-                tryLock.getVersion()
-            );
-            if (identifier != null) {
-              return identifier;
-            } else {
-              log.debug(
-                  "Could not allocate pending segment for rowInterval[%s], segmentInterval[%s].",
-                  rowInterval,
-                  tryInterval
-              );
-            }
-          } else {
-            log.debug("Could not acquire lock for rowInterval[%s], segmentInterval[%s].", rowInterval, tryInterval);
-          }
-        }
+      final SegmentIdentifier identifier = usedSegmentsForRow.isEmpty() ?
+                                           tryAllocateFirstSegment(toolbox, task, rowInterval) :
+                                           tryAllocateSubsequentSegment(
+                                               toolbox,
+                                               task,
+                                               rowInterval,
+                                               usedSegmentsForRow.iterator().next()
+                                           );
+      if (identifier != null) {
+        return identifier;
       }
 
       // Could not allocate a pending segment. There's a chance that this is because someone else inserted a segment
@@ -232,6 +200,99 @@ public class SegmentAllocateAction implements TaskAction<SegmentIdentifier>
     }
   }
 
+  private SegmentIdentifier tryAllocateFirstSegment(
+      TaskActionToolbox toolbox,
+      Task task,
+      Interval rowInterval
+  ) throws IOException
+  {
+    // No existing segments for this row, but there might still be nearby ones that conflict with our preferred
+    // segment granularity. Try that first, and then progressively smaller ones if it fails.
+    final List<Interval> tryIntervals = Granularity.granularitiesFinerThan(preferredSegmentGranularity)
+                                                   .stream()
+                                                   .map(granularity -> granularity.bucket(timestamp))
+                                                   .collect(Collectors.toList());
+    for (Interval tryInterval : tryIntervals) {
+      if (tryInterval.contains(rowInterval)) {
+        final SegmentIdentifier identifier = tryAllocate(toolbox, task, tryInterval, rowInterval, false);
+        if (identifier != null) {
+          return identifier;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  private SegmentIdentifier tryAllocateSubsequentSegment(
+      TaskActionToolbox toolbox,
+      Task task,
+      Interval rowInterval,
+      DataSegment usedSegment
+  ) throws IOException
+  {
+    // Existing segment(s) exist for this row; use the interval of the first one.
+    if (!usedSegment.getInterval().contains(rowInterval)) {
+      log.error("The interval of existing segment[%s] doesn't contain rowInterval[%s]", usedSegment, rowInterval);
+      return null;
+    } else {
+      // If segment allocation failed here, it is highly likely an unrecoverable error. We log here for easier
+      // debugging.
+      return tryAllocate(toolbox, task, usedSegment.getInterval(), rowInterval, true);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private SegmentIdentifier tryAllocate(
+      TaskActionToolbox toolbox,
+      Task task,
+      Interval tryInterval,
+      Interval rowInterval,
+      boolean logOnFail
+  ) throws IOException
+  {
+    log.debug(
+        "Trying to allocate pending segment for rowInterval[%s], segmentInterval[%s].",
+        rowInterval,
+        tryInterval
+    );
+    final TaskLock tryLock = toolbox.getTaskLockbox().tryLock(task, tryInterval).orNull();
+    if (tryLock != null) {
+      final SegmentIdentifier identifier = toolbox.getIndexerMetadataStorageCoordinator().allocatePendingSegment(
+          dataSource,
+          sequenceName,
+          previousSegmentId,
+          tryInterval,
+          tryLock.getVersion()
+      );
+      if (identifier != null) {
+        return identifier;
+      } else {
+        final String msg = StringUtils.format(
+            "Could not allocate pending segment for rowInterval[%s], segmentInterval[%s].",
+            rowInterval,
+            tryInterval
+        );
+        if (logOnFail) {
+          log.error(msg);
+        } else {
+          log.debug(msg);
+        }
+        return null;
+      }
+    } else {
+      final String msg = StringUtils.format(
+          "Could not acquire lock for rowInterval[%s], segmentInterval[%s].",
+          rowInterval,
+          tryInterval
+      );
+      if (logOnFail) {
+        log.error(msg);
+      } else {
+        log.debug(msg);
+      }
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
   @Override
   public boolean isAudited()
   {