MARCH 23, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
PHOENIX SUNS 10-7 · 5TH IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
10-7 · 5TH IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
Next Game vs Nets · Today 2:00AM
PHX -9.5 TOTAL 220.5
Chris Paul 'an acquired taste' with leadership, says former Clippers teammates Matt Barnes, JJ Redick JJ Redick and Matt Barnes discussed Chris Paul's leadership style as both were teammates of the Suns point guard while playing with the Clip...
Elfrid Payton embraces role with Suns during his second stint with team Elfrid Payton started his first game this season Sunday at Sacramento. He's ready if called on again.
MARCH 23, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Suns point guard Elfrid Payton talks his role as backup, possible start vs. Minnesota The Suns’ veteran point guard discussed contributing to their winning culture, and adjusting his role in his second stint with the team sinc...
MARCH 23, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Suns vs Timberwolves Prediction, Odds, Moneyline, Spread & Over/Under for March 23 On Wednesday in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns are playing the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sport...
MARCH 23, 2022 • FANDUEL.COM
Should Suns' Devin Booker be a top-five MVP candidate? History is split on the leading scorer of NBA's best team Isiah Thomas said that being the leading scorer on the best team in the NBA has always been part of the criteria. Past MVP voting says other...
MARCH 23, 2022 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM
Warriors fall to Magic 94-90; Suns clinch 1st in Pacific
Franz Wagner made three free throws with 12.2 seconds remaining and dunked on an inbounds play for the final points, leading the Orlando Magic to a 94-90 win over the Golden State...MARCH 23, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jae Crowder - Good to go Wednesday Crowder (ankle/foot) is not listed on the injury report ahead of Wednesday's matchup against the Timberwolves, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Impact Crowder appeared to suffer a right foot injury midway through the third quarter of Sunday's overtime win over the Kings, but it doesn't appear to be a serious issue, as he's been omitted from the injury report. The veteran forward also recently missed two games due to a groin injury, so it's possible the Suns give him a reduced role against Minnesota.
MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Cameron Payne - Available Wednesday Payne (illness) is not listed on the injury report ahead of Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Impact Payne was sidelined Sunday due to a non-COVID illness, but it appears he will return to action Wednesday. Over his last 10 contests, he's averaged 14.2 points, 9.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 30.3 minutes and figures to continue putting up solid numbers in the absence of Chris Paul (thumb), though the All-Star point guard may be returning much earlier than initially anticipated.
MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Cameron Johnson - Ruled out Wednesday Johnson (quadriceps) is out for Wednesday's contest against the Timberwolves, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Impact Johnson is slated to miss a 10th straight game due to a bruised right quad. His next chance to return to action will come Thursday against the Nuggets.
MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James needs to be traded to Phoenix Suns, Charles Oakley says A close friend of LeBron James recently suggested that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar needs to be traded to the Phoenix Suns.
MARCH 22, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Chris Paul - Won't play Wednesday Paul (thumb) has been ruled out for Wednesday's contest against the Timberwolves, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Impact Paul has been ramping up his conditioning activities lately and appears to be on track to return before the end of the regular season, and there was even speculation that he could return as soon as Wednesday, though that optimism has since been put to rest. Either way, it sounds like the All-Star point guard will be returning to action much sooner than the initial 6-to-8 week estimate. However, his status for the Suns' two remaining games this week is still up in the air.
MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Chris Paul - Practices Tuesday Paul (thumb) returned to practice Tuesday, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Impact Paul, who was expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks after initially being diagnosed with a fractured right thumb, has been ramping up his conditioning activities lately and appears to be on track to return before the end of the regular season, per Sam Amick of the Athletic. His return to practice was likely the next benchmark of the rehab process, but it's worth mentioning that the Suns didn't do any 5-on-5 drills Tuesday. While he's trending in the right direction, Phoenix will presumably be extremely cautious with its star point guard, especially given they have gone 10-4 without him and still hold the NBA's top record by a large margin.
MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Chris Paul doing 'more and more' going into Wednesday's game at Minnesota Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and Cameron Payne all practiced Tuesday heading into Wednesday's game at Minnesota.
MARCH 22, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Phoenix takes road win streak into matchup with Minnesota
Phoenix will try to keep its five-game road win streak alive when the Suns take on MinnesotaMARCH 22, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Phoenix Suns say Mikal Bridges lock for NBA defensive player of the year A week after ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said Mikal Bridges should win this season's NBA defensive player of the year award, Monty Williams and...
MARCH 21, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Jae Crowder - Hurts foot Sunday Crowder appeared to suffer a right foot injury midway through the third quarter of Sunday's 127-124 overtime win over the Kings, Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press reports. He...
Impact Crowder was back in action after missing the previous two games with groin soreness, but he now has a new issue to contend with as the Suns prepare for a three-game week that includes a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back set in Minnesota and Denver, respectively. Cameron Johnson (quadriceps) was also sidelined for a ninth straight contest Sunday, and if he and Crowder can't go in Minnesota, the Suns would likely turn to Torrey Craig to cover heavy minutes at power forward.
MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Chris Paul - Could return sooner than expected Paul, who has been sidelined since the All-Star break with a fractured right thumb, appears on track to return before his team-issued recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, with a sou...
Impact The recovery timeline provided by the Suns would have ruled out Paul until at least April 3, but the veteran point guard looks as though he might be back in action nearly two weeks earlier than anticipated. According to Amick, Paul has ramped up his conditioning activities of late and was spotted going through a rigorous workout prior to Sunday's 127-124 overtime win over the Kings in Sacramento. How Paul fares in his conditioning work Monday and Tuesday will likely determine whether he's given the green light to play Wednesday, but even if the 36-year-old isn't deemed read for game action by then, he looks as though he'll be back in business before long. Since Paul isn't dealing with any sort of lower-body injury, he shouldn't face any strict limitations with his playing time once he returns, provided his thumb has fully healed. Even so, the Suns have gone 10-4 in his absence to strengthen their hold on the NBA's top record (58-14), and the team's comfortable position atop the Western Conference and its propensity for blowing out other clubs means that Paul may not be asked to regularly clear the 30-minute mark anyway as the regular season winds down.
MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Mikal Bridges - Ties season-high scoring output Bridges supplied 27 points (9-18 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-8 FT), two rebounds, one assist and two steals across 50 minutes during Sunday's 127-124 overtime win over Sacramento.
Impact Bridges tied his best scoring output of the campaign with an efficient performance, and while he hasn't been able to stand out in any other category outside scoring, he's been playing well of late with 20 or more points in three of his last four contests.
MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Devin Booker - Scores 31, fouls out Booker fouled out of Sunday's 127-124 overtime victory over Sacramento after recording 31 points (11-21 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 7-7 FT), seven rebounds, five assists and one steal in 37 minut...
Impact Booker recorded his fifth straight game with at least 25 points, but he was unable to finish it since he fouled out in what turned out to be a more-complicated-than-expected win for the Suns. Booker missed four games in early March, but he's averaging 28.1 points per tilt while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor over his last seven contests.
MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Elfrid Payton - Poor outing Sunday Payton recorded one point (0-3 FG, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals over 18 minutes during Sunday's 127-124 overtime victory over the Kings.
Impact Payton didn't have a lot of involvement on offense and although the one-point stat line reads poorly, at least he managed to make his presence felt in other categories throughout a limited 18-minute appearance. It's worth noting he only started because Cameron Payne (illness) and Chris Paul (thumb) were absent, so Payton should head back to the bench sooner than later. His next chance to play will come Wednesday at Minnesota.
MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Phoenix Suns: Chris Paul's pregame workout Sunday latest sign of early return from injury Chris Paul's pregame workout before Sunday's 127-124 overtime win at Sacramento was indicative of the progress he's made.
MARCH 21, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
NBA round-up: Phoenix Suns rally for their fifth straight win as Memphis Grizzlies rolled to a big win Donovan Mitchell drops 36 points in the Garden
MARCH 21, 2022 • SKY.COM
Suns vs Kings Postgame Media Availability: Coach Williams, Booker, Shamet, Bridges
MARCH 21, 2022 • YOUTUBE
Photos: Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings Images from the Phoenix Suns' road game against the Sacramento Kings on March 20, 2022.
MARCH 21, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Phoenix Suns overcome fouls, injuries to top Sacramento Kings in overtime Devin Booker scored a game high 31 points in leading the Suns past the Kings in overtime on Sunday.
MARCH 21, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
