Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (groin) will return against the Sacramento Kings. Crowder has missed the previous two games because of left groin soreness. However, it's fortunate the team will get him back, especially with Cameron Payne (illness) and Cameron Johnson (quadriceps) both ruled out. Nevertheless, Devin Booker will likely be the Suns' top fantasy producer on Sunday evening. However, there's surely room for Crowder to get involved.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (groin) is questionable for Sunday's matchup in Sacramento. The veteran has missed his last two contests because of groin soreness, opening the door for Torrey Craig to get more involved. Craig has averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 boards throughout 16 starts during the 2021-22 campaign, so he'll be a viable fantasy option in deeper leagues if Crowder doesn't play. He may also have some appeal in DFS contests.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (groin) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls. Torrey Craig played well during his spot start on Wednesday. There's a good chance that the Suns decide to start Craig again here. Possibly, Craig's 21-point performance was a fluke, but he should see significant minutes on Friday. He's worth a look as a streaming option or cheap DFS choice for Friday's slate.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (groin) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets. The veteran is dealing with right groin soreness. This game comes on the backend of a back-to-back set for the Suns, so the team may be practicing caution with him. Crowder has averaged 28.4 minutes per game this month, so there will be some extra playing time to go around on Wednesday. Torrey Craig could end up with 30-plus minutes while Ish Wainright could see minutes in the double-digits. However, neither player is particularly interesting from a fantasy perspective.

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (ankle) and forward Jae Crowder (wrist) are available for Thursday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. Both players were able to play on Tuesday without any issues. They should resume their normal roles without any limitations on Thursday. Bismack Biyombo and Cameron Johnson will be impacted the most by Ayton and Crowder returning. Johnson is still worth rostering in some formats, but Biyombo can be dropped with Ayton healthy.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (wrist) is probable for Thursday's outing against Atlanta. The 31-year-old missed his previous four games because of a left wrist contusion before returning on Tuesday versus the Nets. He logged 25 minutes in that one, although he struggled by finishing with three points on a horrid 1-for-5 shooting. Nonetheless, it's likely only a matter of time before he is back playing at an efficient level. Yet, fantasy managers should tread carefully in the meantime, at least until Crowder demonstrates he is back at full strength.

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (ankle) and power forward Jae Crowder (wrist) have been elevated to questionable to suit up for Tuesday's game vs. the Nets after going through shootaround earlier in the day. Ayton has missed the past seven outings, while Crowder has been down the past four. A return from Ayton would knock most of the fantasy shine from Bismack Biyombo and JaVale McGee, while getting Crowder back in the mix would likely cap Cameron Johnson's recent minutes eruption somewhat. Brooklyn enters the day playing at the league's sixth-fastest pace (Phoenix sits at seventh), which works in both players' favor if they're ultimately cleared to take the floor.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (wrist) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. He has missed each of the last three games due to a left wrist contusion. Cameron Johnson has been excellent lately and is worth streaming while Crowder is out. Fantasy managers should check the waiver wire and see if Johnson is available. Johnson should still have a solid role in the rotation once Crowder does return to action.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (wrist) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Utah Jazz. This marks the second game in a row that Crowder has missed due to a left wrist contusion. Fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned and consider Crowder day-to-day right now. Cameron Johnson is expected to make another start with Crowder sidelined again. Johnson finished with 20 points and six rebounds in 38 minutes on Monday. Fantasy managers should expect similar results from Johnson on Wednesday.

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton and power forward Jae Crowder have both cleared the league's health and safety protocols, but remain sidelined Thursday vs. the Clippers as they ramp up to game speed. The duo will be missing their sixth consecutive contest, which should allow Jalen Smith and Cameron Johnson, respectively, to continue enjoying elevated minutes and offensive usage. Ayton enjoyed his best month of 2021-22 before entering the protocols, averaging 18.7 points and 10.6 boards per outing, while his usage% climbed to 23.1%. Crowder remains an on-the-fence season-long asset due to his limited offensive output, but he has managed to knock down at least one triple in 13 of his last 14 outings.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder won't play against the Thunder because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Wednesday's absence will mark his second straight, and he will be joined by Deandre Ayton, leaving the team down two members of its starting lineup. Nonetheless, without Crowder in the mix, Cameron Johnson should continue to fill the void, with the 25-year-old producing 19 points, seven rebounds, and two steals while filling in on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The seeds for this were planted nearly a year ago. The Phoenix Suns were in the middle of their eight-game unbeaten run inside the bubble at Walt Disney World last summer when someone asked coach Monty Williams if it was fun to be the feel-good story of the event. His answer was telling. “Fun? I don’t have time to have fun right now,” Williams said. “It’s always good to win, but I’m working right now. And I want guys to understand, it’s fun when you win — but then you’ve got to turn the page and get right back to work.” They apparently listened. They’re the Western Conference champions now. The scope of this turnaround is impressive. The Suns had, by far, the worst record in the NBA over a five-year span before heading to the bubble last summer. They’ve had, by far, the best record in the NBA since. And now the NBA Finals against either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Atlanta Hawks await, with Game 1 sometime next week in Phoenix. “Just a long time coming,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. Believe... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Paul was in the starting lineup for the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing the first two games of the Western Conference finals while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Paul was upgraded to available from probable on the league's injury report and participated in the team's shootaround Thursday. “He’s back with us," forward Jae Crowder said. "It was great to have him on the court, walk through a few things, talk to him about some stuff that we’ve been talking about amongst one another. It was great to just have one of our guys back in the lineup and ready to go,” The 36-year-old point guard averaged 25.5 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the second round against Denver. He scored a game-high 37 points in final game of the series June 13. Phoenix has been on a roll, winning nine straight postseason games, including the first two against the Clippers series. Paul — who played for the Clippers from 2011-17 — was named to the All-NBA second team earlier this week. He averaged 16.4 points during the regular season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Paul is expected to play for the Phoenix Suns Thursday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul was upgraded to available from probable on the league's injury report and participated in the team's shootaround Thursday afternoon. He missed the first two games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols since June 16. “He’s back with us. It was great to have him on the court, walk through a few things, talk to him about some stuff that we’ve been talking about amongst one another. It was great to just have one of our guys back in the lineup and ready to go,” forward Jae Crowder said. The 36-year-old point guard averaged 25.5 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the second round against Denver. He scored a game-high 37 points in final game of the series on June 13. Phoenix has been on a roll, winning nine straight postseason games, including the first two of the Clippers series. Paul — who played for the Clippers from 2011-17 — was named to the All-NBA Second Team earlier this week. He averaged 16.4 points during the regular season and 15.7 points in the playoffs. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

When Phoenix's Deandre Ayton reached over the rim to dunk Jae Crowder's pass for what became the winning points of the Suns' 104-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, several players immediately argued that the play was illegal. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on their part. Or, perhaps more likely, they did not fully understand the rule. In almost any other situation, what Ayton did would have been a violation — offensive basket interference — and the shot shouldn't have counted. But in this situation, what he did was perfectly legal. WHY DID IT COUNT? NBA Rule 11, Section I, Subsection f gives part of the answer. That rule states that a player shall not “touch any ball from within the playing area that is on its downward flight with an opportunity to score. This is considered to be a ‘field goal attempt’ or trying for a goal.” Crowder's pass — an extremely difficult one — was not a field goal attempt. Because it was an inbounds pass, it would not have counted as a field goal even if... [More]

It seems like Chris Paul relishes the notion of being the underdog. That’s why, when the Western Conference semifinals were over and the Phoenix Suns had swept their way into the NBA’s final four, he talked about how he felt written off a couple of seasons ago. Why he talked about spending two years on his high school’s junior varsity team. How he wasn’t, in his words, “necessarily supposed to be here.” It’s a neat narrative. But it’s not reality. Fact is, this is exactly where Paul and the Suns are supposed to be. He’s still elite at what he does. He’s helped take the Suns to levels few thought they could reach in Year 1 of his tenure in the valley. They’re headed to the West finals against the Utah Jazz or the Los Angeles Clippers, a matchup that’ll start early next week, and there will be no shortage of experts picking the Suns to go from there to the NBA Finals. “I’ve always had to grind, and I like that mentality, and that’s always been who I’ve been, and I’m going to stay that way,”... [More]

It seems like Chris Paul relishes the notion of being the underdog. That’s why, when the Western Conference semifinals were over and the Phoenix Suns had swept their way into the NBA’s final four, he talked about how he felt written off a couple of seasons ago. Why he talked about spending two years on his high school’s junior varsity team. How he wasn’t, in his words, “necessarily supposed to be here.” It’s a neat narrative. But it’s not reality. Fact is, this is exactly where Paul and the Suns are supposed to be. He’s still elite at what he does. He’s helped take the Suns to levels few thought they could reach in Year 1 of his tenure in the valley. They’re headed to the West finals against the Utah Jazz or the Los Angeles Clippers, a matchup that’ll start early next week, and there will be no shortage of experts picking the Suns to go from there to the NBA Finals. “I’ve always had to grind, and I like that mentality, and that’s always been who I’ve been, and I’m going to stay that way,”... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Jae Crowder received all sorts of quizzical text messages for his decision to sign with the Phoenix Suns in the offseason. What was he thinking? The Suns hadn't been to the playoffs in a decade. The West was stacked. “I look like a genius, huh?” cracked Crowder, who took his talents to the Suns after helping Miami reach the NBA Finals last season. “I knew the type of group these guys were. I felt like they were hungry. They wanted to do some special things and I wanted to be a part of it.” Behind the brilliant backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker and steady contributions from the likes of Crowder, the Suns are roaring into the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010, the last year they reached the postseason. The Suns completed a four-game sweep of the short-handed Denver Nuggets with a 125-118 win Sunday night in a testy game in which MVP Nikola Jokic was ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Cameron Payne. It was the seventh straight win... [More]

LeBron James has entered uncharted waters. He has been to the NBA playoffs in 15 of his 18 NBA seasons, and has never missed the second round — a streak that is now very much in doubt. James and the Los Angeles Lakers trail their first-round series against Phoenix 3-2, with Game 6 in Los Angeles on Thursday. Game 7, if necessary, is back in Phoenix on Saturday. James’ 14-0 record in first-round series — counting his times in Cleveland, his four-year run in Miami and now his Lakers’ stint — is almost beyond compare in NBA history. Robert Horry and Derek Fisher both played in the first round 16 times; their teams went 16-0 in those series. They are the only players who have enjoyed more first-round success than James. Now, he’s on the brink of something he’s never experienced. The approach, from here, is simple. “You shoot all the bullets you’ve got and throw the gun too,” James said. “I look forward to the environment. Obviously, our Laker faithful are going to give us a lot of energy. I... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis is playing like his superstar self again. At the same time, he's reminding everyone just how dangerous the Los Angeles Lakers can be. Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds and the Lakers never trailed in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. “I feel good, man,” Davis said. “I’m getting my legs back, I’m getting my rhythm back. Getting my steps back on both ends of the floor, so feeling good. I’m getting better each game, getting my wind back each game. We’re headed in the right direction.” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso each had 17 points and the short-handed Lakers won for just the third time in their past 11 games. Playing without LeBron James, who missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles because of a sprained right ankle, and Kyle Kuzma, held out because of tightness in his back, an energized Davis led the way for the defending NBA champions as they try to avoid the play-in tournament. Davis set the tone with his one-handed... [More]