Nate Taylor

IndyStar

Clippers at Pacers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, FSI

UPDATE, 5:20 p.m. Tuesday: Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel announced center Ian Mahinmi would play Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Earlier

Much of Monday’s practice for the Indiana Pacers was spent going over defensive principles.

The areas addressed ranged from half-court defense, defensive rebounding and transition defense. Yet, perhaps the best chance for the Pacers – losers in six of their last eight games – to return to top form on defense was with the tall man standing on the sideline.

Ian Mahinmi, who missed the last two games with a sprained left ankle, did not participate for most of Monday’s session. Mahinmi went through shooting drills with his teammates and showed no signs of pain when he jogged.

“It’s getting a little better and the swelling is under control,” Mahinmi said of his ankle. “Obviously, we’re working on my strength right now. I did a little bit in practice, but I’m not 100 percent yet. I’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”

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The Pacers, rather loudly, hope they get their starting center back for Tuesday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Coach Frank Vogel was not sure that Mahinmi would be ready.

“There’s a 50 percent chance he plays tomorrow,” Vogel said. “He’s going to be reevaluated tomorrow.”

Without Mahinmi, whether because of injury or when he is on the bench, the Pacers’ defense has provided little resistance in January. The Pacers’ defensive rating, a statistic that measures points allowed per 100 possessions, is 100.2 this month. That number drops to 95.6 when Mahinmi is on the court.

“He’s one of the best defensive centers in the league,” Vogel said of Mahinmi. “It’s that simple with his rim protection, his pick-and-roll coverages, his ability to use his mobility to get back to big shooters. He’s also a great finisher offensively for us. We’re missing him on both ends.”

Mahinmi’s absence was rather noticeable in the Pacers’ loss Saturday to the Sacramento Kings. The Pacers never found a way to defend Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins, who scored a career-high 48 points on 17-of-29 shooting. The Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan, a center who can score in the paint, could provide many of the same issues.

In each of the Pacers’ three losses on the four-game trip, they surrendered at least 108 points. Mahinmi knows part of the reason the Pacers struggled on defense was because he was not there.

“It’s been very hard for me to watch,” he said. “I try to speak up as much as I can, but there’s only so much I can do on the sidelines. It’s not only like interior defensive stuff, it’s overall. I think it’s a lot of slippage.”

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Paul George agreed with Mahinmi. George is not concerned with the Pacers' offense, but he said they will score more points when they create turnovers for fast-break opportunities. The problem, George said, is the Pacers have not produced enough stops on defense.

“If we don’t get stops, it’s hard to score on any defense,” George said. “I think that’s the only thing that’s got us in a funk, the only thing that’s really making us an average team oppose to us being great.”

Mahinmi sustained his injury late in the second quarter in the win over the Phoenix Suns. He rolled his ankle when he landed awkwardly on Monta Ellis after going for a loose ball near the baseline. Mahinmi said the injury was frustrating because he had just recovered from a sore left heel.

The one positive that Mahinmi saw from missing three of the last four games was watching the emergence of rookie Myles Turner. During the trip, Turner averaged an impressive 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Vogel played Mahinmi and Turner together for the first time this season against the Suns. Although Mahinmi was taken to the locker room 1 minute later, he is eager to play alongside Turner. The two, both listed at 6-11, create the Pacers’ tallest frontcourt, as both are capable of deterring opponents from reaching the rim.



“I think it could be very scary,” Mahinmi said of Turner. “Defensively, we have the length and obviously the stuff that he’s capable of doing offensively is something special. I think me and him could be something good.”

Call Star reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.

Clippers at Pacers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, FSI

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