The schedule turns sinister for the Pacers from here on out, with 10 of their remaining 16 games on the road, and eight of those 10 coming against teams that are certain or in contention to qualify for the playoffs.
Their 112-87 victory over Atlanta on Friday could be viewed as a mere rest stop before heading onto difficult roads, but it was more valuable than that. It provided a template for how they'll have to navigate the most difficult and crucial stretch of their season.
They had Victor Oladipo looking like a different player, adjusting his approach to dealing with double-teams by becoming more playmaker than scorer.