Roy Hibbert day-to-day with sprained left ankle

The Indiana Pacers can't catch a break on the injury front.

Already down five players, they lost both the recently-returned Rodney Stuckey (wrist) and center Roy Hibbert to injuries on Saturday against the Phoenix Suns. That could leave the Pacers with just nine healthy bodies moving forward - they've been given a Hardship Exception to keep a 16th roster player.

In Hibbert's case, it appears the team and player avoided disaster. Hibbert sprained his left ankle in the first quarter and was able to return briefly in the second quarter before shutting things down entirely. He's considered day-to-day, but his status for Monday's game in Dallas is in question.

In a remarkable bounce-back after a poor second half of 2013-14, Hibbert has been among the league's most impressive players early on. Averaging 13.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, Hibbert is also holding opposing teams to 38.9 percent shooting when he's near the rim, an unbelievable mark.

The Pacers have been 4.5 points per-100 possessions better defensively with Hibbert on the court than without him as a result, making him an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

It's unclear who would start in Hibbert's place if he can't go, but Ian Mahinmi has logged most of the team's backup center minutes. Mahinmi is averaging 4.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.2 minutes while shooting a robust 62.5 percent from the floor.