That might have been the difference in the game — getting a goose egg from a vital offensive weapon who happens to be undersized against normal point guards (never mind a creature like 'Reke) and as such gives up 16 first-quarter points … that's pretty huge. And it happened only because of Evans's tools, and his willingness to use them. That first Ford stint was an 8-minute match-up problem. That's why you draft players like Evans.

Elsewhere on the court, Spencer Hawes out-Murphyed Troy Murphy, hitting three threes (Murphy had one) and generally doing what he pleased on the court. He and Jason Thompson (who was also effective on offense), however, got murdered on the boards, giving up an outrageous 22 offensive rebounds for Indiana. The Pacers took 43 percent of all offensive rebound opportunities, which is way way too many.

More on this game Thursday morning.