Suns’ Jae Crowder exits with apparent ankle injury, does not return

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder exited Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings after appearing to injure his right ankle and then did not return in a 127-124 win over the Kings.

Crowder attempted a 3-point shot midway through the third quarter and a closeout from Sacramento’s Justin Holiday got too close to Crowder’s landing zone and had Crowder’s right foot land on Holiday’s. That is typically going to result in a foul call and can even be ruled a Flagrant 1 but there was no whistle on the play.

Crowder came down on defender's foot, immediately to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/ahykWBcTUu

— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) March 20, 2022

Crowder stayed down before play was stopped. He attempted to get up and walk it off but struggled to put weight on his right foot.

Jae Crowder goes down in pain after an awkward landing. pic.twitter.com/V8nfcBHQOb

— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) March 20, 2022

The veteran wing went to the locker room and then returned to the bench for the majority of the fourth quarter. There was no update on his status provided by the team.

Crowder was initially questionable for Sunday’s game due to a sore left groin that had kept him out of the Suns’ last two games.

The 31-year-old entered play on Sunday averaging 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds. 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. While his shooting percentage is at a similarly low point of 40.6% that it was last season (40.4%), the veteran is an invaluable starter due to his basketball IQ, savvy and toughness, maintaining the shape of the Suns’ offense and defense.

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