Cameron Payne, Jae Crowder ruled out Monday's showdown vs. Jazz after suffering wrist injuries in Suns win over Pacers

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Chris Paul's reaction to Jae Crowder immediately running to the locker room holding his left wrist was a continuation of his frustration as Cameron Payne injured his right wrist earlier in Saturday's 113-103 home win over Indiana.

"I was mad because it was similar plays," Paul said. "To see Cam go down in the first half, then to see Jae go down, it's tough, man. We've got a tight-knit group over here and we know how hard guys work. Just always tough to see that."

Crowder (left wrist contusion) and Payne (right wrist sprain) are both ruled out for Monday's game against the Jazz (30-16) at Footprint Center.

Jan 22, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Suns' Cam Payne (15) makes a layup against the Pacers during the first half at the Footprint Center.
Jan 22, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Suns' Cam Payne (15) makes a layup against the Pacers during the first half at the Footprint Center.

The Suns (36-9) will then play at Utah on Wednesday as the two teams have yet to face each other this season.

"It's tough," said Suns wing Mikal Bridges, who scored a game-high 23 points Saturday. "It kind of put my mood down a little bit when at the end the game seeing those guys hurt a little bit. You always want to have your whole team out there, but just pray for them tonight and next man up, but yeah, obviously you always want to have your team out there."

Payne finished with seven points off the bench in seven minutes while Crowder scored four in Phoenix's sixth straight victory. NBA sources inform The Republic that Crowder didn't break anything regarding his hand.

"It just sucks, but part of the game," Bridges continued. "Can't control it. It's tough."

Payne didn't play in the second half after injuring his wrist in the first half. He immediately grabbed his right wrist and grimaced in paint after a basket with 1:20 left in the first quarter.

Hitting the floor, the Suns backup point guard was fouled on the play by Pacers big Isaiah Jackson who attempted to block Payne's layup high off the glass.

Continuing to play, Payne finished 2-of-5 shooting and three assists in the first half as he left the game with 9:24 left in second quarter.

Then Crowder hit the floor and slid into the bottom part of the padded backstop after scoring over Pacers big Goga Bitadze, who tried to block the layup attempt, with 4:37 left in the third that put the Suns up, 79-61.

He didn't return to the game as well as the Suns posted their eighth consecutive home sellout crowd of 17,071.

Crowder ended the game with four points on 2-of-4 shooting against the Pacers (17-30), who were coming off back-to-back road wins versus Lakers and Warriors..

The Suns were already without Deandre Ayton, who missed his third straight game with a right ankle sprain he suffered in the first half against Detroit during Phoenix's five-game road trip.

Ayton is listed as doubtful for Monday's game.

Phoenix has had 15 players miss at least one game this season due to injury, being placed in the league's health and safety protocols, illness or personal reasons.

"Man, no one wants to see that," Suns center JaVale McGee said. "No one wants to see your brothers go down. It just seems like this year, COVID, injuries, but I'm always the type of person that looks at it in an optimistic view. So personally, I'd rather have it happen now than in the playoffs when we really need (Crowder and Payne), but I'd rather it not happen to them at all to tell the truth."

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Payne, Crowder ruled out Monday's showdown vs. Jazz with wrist injuries