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Update: Crowder has returned to the Suns bench, so he appears ready to come back into the contest. This is a nice boost for Phoenix, although the team is down by double digits late in the first quarter of Game 4. He has now checked back into the game.
The Phoenix Suns saw forward Jae Crowder limp to the locker room in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks with an apparent ankle injury. Crowder suffered the injury in the first quarter.
Jan Crowder is limping off the floor for Phoenix with an apparently ankle injury.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 8, 2022
Crowder missed his first two shots of the game and played just seven minutes before sustaining the injury. If he’s unable to continue, this will be a tough break for the Suns on both ends of the floor. Not only is Crowder one of Phoenix’s better on-ball perimeter defenders, he’s a capable three-point shooter and a playoff veteran.
If Crowder cannot return, look for Cameron Johnson and Landry Shamet to get extended run on the wing for the Suns. Both players have been in the rotation during the postseason, but haven’t been able to generate much offensively for Phoenix. Johnson has more upside as a floor-spacing forward, but Shamet could be more useful defensively against Dallas’ guard-heavy rotations.