Nate McMillan wasn't going to deny the obvious. Asked Sunday if he had been pleased when he learned that day's opponent, Washington, had played a triple-overtime game the previous night, McMillan did not hesitate.
"Absolutely," he said. "You want to try to take advantage of that, absolutely."
The fact the Pacers did just that in their 105-89 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse might qualify as an indication of improved maturity. The Wizards were just 13-20 entering the game and losers of six of their previous eight, so adding opponent's fatigue to the mix seemed to make it the closest thing to a holiday gift the Pacers could get.