Candace Buckner

Pacers at Dallas%2C 8%3A30 p.m.%2C Monday%2C FSI

A positive sign strolled through the Indiana Pacers' locker room Saturday night. More than just a sign, it was David West – his shirt soaked in sweat, fresh from a pregame workout, and his right ankle free from visible medical tape. Though West has missed all 13 games this season while recovering from an ankle sprain that has not completely healed, he declared "it's getting close."

However, after this encouraging moment, it only took about six minutes into the matchup against the Phoenix Suns for things to turn ominous once again.

Another ankle sprain, another starter on the court cringing then gingerly walking straight to the locker room, another threat of a man down to this already battered Pacers rotation.

In the 106-83 loss to the Suns, starting center Roy Hibbert left the game after twisting his left ankle. Though the initial prognosis stated that he would later return to the game, Hibbert only remained on the bench in his warm-ups, watching as the Suns blew away his teammates.

Hibbert will miss Monday night's game against Dallas, while Rodney Stuckey, who hurt his wrist in the game, is probable to face the Mavericks. In addition, C.J. Miles, who has missed time this season, is questionable with a sore right calf.

If Hibbert's sprain turns out to be anywhere near the extent to his teammate's ankle injury – West has been out 36 days and counting – then the team defense could be in a world of pain.

"Everything we try to do is based around Big Dawg being in the middle and being the rim protector that he is," point guard Donald Sloan said, explaining Hibbert's effect. "We rely on Big Dawg a lot, as far as help coverage… so when he goes out, it's a big blow for us, at least defensively."

The impact of having the 7-2 Hibbert stand sentry at the rim cannot be understated. Hibbert ranks second behind New Orleans' Anthony Davis in the league with 37 total blocks but tops all as the best rim protector, pure and simple. Opponents have only made 38.5 percent of attempts against Hibbert's defense at the rim, the lowest field-goal percentage in the NBA among frontcourt players.

With Hibbert on the floor, the Pacers have a stellar 99.0 defensive rating, a statistic that measures team points allowed per 100 possessions – by comparison, New Orleans nets a 104.9 even with its defensive stalwart, Davis, on the floor. However, when Hibbert takes a seat, Indiana's defense plummets to a 105.3 rating, according to statistics on NBA.com.

Also, the team's defensive rebounding percentage nosedives nearly seven percentage points and opponents even appear to improve their 3-point shooting with Hibbert away. Teams have averaged 6.0 makes during Hibbert's 369 minutes on the floor compared to 7.9 when he has sat for 260 minutes. This is a troubling sign considering that the Pacers' next opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, leads the league with a 109.9 scoring average.

On the offensive end, Hibbert's absence also changes how the Pacers play. When Hibbert is out of the game, Indiana relies more on the 3-pointer, attempting four more shots beyond the arc but hitting them at a lower percentage (32.1 percent with Hibbert on the floor and 31.9% with him on the bench).

On Saturday night, Chris Copeland knocked down two of three shots from deep before the 6:40 mark of the first quarter. Then, Hibbert tried to contest an Eric Bledsoe drive at the rim, landed awkwardly and left the game. For the rest of the night without a reason to dump the ball inside, the Pacers played into the Suns' faster tempo and attempted 20 more 3-pointers but only connected on five.

"It changed their pace of play a lot," Suns guard P.J. Tucker said, noticing how the early loss of Hibbert impacted the Pacers. "They like to go inside with him a lot, do a lot of bang-like play. When they lost him, they really had no one that they could rely on to do that."

Follow Star reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.

DEFENSIVE IMPACT

A look at how teams perform with and without their best interior defender on the floor:

Team Points allowed per 100 possessions

PACERS

99.0 with Roy Hibbert on the floor

105.3 with Hibbert on the bench

PELICANS

104.9 with Anthony Davis on the floor

105.5 with Davis on the bench

ROCKETS

90.0 with Dwight Howard on the floor

99.6 with Howard on the bench

SPURS

91.6 with Tim Duncan on the court

99.7 with Duncan on the bench

THUNDER

101.6 with Serge Ibaka on the court

106.7 with Ibaka on the bench

INDIANA AT DALLAS

Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. Monday, American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: Fox Sports Indiana.

Radio: 107.5 FM, WFNI-AM (1070).

PACERS (5-8)

Projected starters

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Donald Sloan 12.2 4.8 apg SG Solomon Hill 12.2 5.9 rpg SF Chris Copeland 13.1 33.0 3FG% PF Luis Scola 8.2 7.3 rpg C Ian Mahinmi 4.6 5.3 rpg 6th Lavoy Allen 7.2 7.4 rpg

DALLAS (10-4)

Projected starters

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Jameer Nelson 7.4 4.6 apg SG Monta Ellis 19.5 4.6 apg SF Chandler Parsons 14.1 4.9 rpg PF Dirk Nowitzki 18.8 42.4 3FG% C Tyson Chandler 10.6 10.4 rpg 6th Brandan Wright 10.5 4.4 apg

STORYLINES

Injury update: On Sunday, the Pacers announced the latest statuses of injured players. Try to keep count: CJ Miles (sore right calf) questionable; Roy Hibbert (sprained left ankle) questionable; Rodney Stuckey (sprained left wrist) questionable. However, David West (sprained right ankle), George Hill (left knee contusion) and C.J. Watson (bruised right foot) are all out, along with Paul George (broken right leg).

He said what?! "At that point, next man up. We ask Ian to take more of that role, which he is capable of and everybody has to do a little more defensively, at least try to, to make up for another guy going down. We'll see."

— Donald Sloan on the prospects of the Pacers playing on in the absence of their best interior defender, Roy Hibbert.

Prediction: The Mavericks won an NBA championship in 2011 with a sharply executed offensive scheme and so far in 2014, they appear to be replicating that formula. In their 10 wins, the Mavs have averaged 116.4 points per game and just obliterated some of the more meekly minded opponents of the NBA (140 vs. Los Angeles Lakers; 131 vs. Minnesota; 123 vs. Philadelphia). In spite of the injuries, Indiana has maintained a defensive attitude but done so with the best rim protector playing behind several inexperienced players. If Hibbert doesn't play and Ian Mahinmi finds foul trouble, it could be a long night for the Pacers. Mavericks win 110-88.

Candace Buckner