Phoenix Suns PG Cam Payne Questionable for Game 4 vs Clippers
The Phoenix Suns currently hold a 2-1 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers heading into Saturday's Game 4, and there's hope more help could be on the way.
Backup point guard Cameron Payne remains questionable as we approach game day on Saturday, which features an early start time of 12:30 PM PST. Payne hurt his back in the second-to-last game of the regular season and has missed each game since, though he's been ruled questionable and ruled out just ahead of game time in each of the three postseason meeting between the Suns and Clippers.
“He’s doing about the same,” said Suns coach Monty Williams (h/t Duane Rankin) “Today was pretty much an off day for us, but we had a bunch of guys that wanted to get in the gym. He got up a lot more shots. Some cardio. So we’ll just see how his body responds.”
Phoenix has been carried by near superhuman efforts from players such as Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, though their second unit has left much to be desired. They scored a combined 23 points off the bench in the first two games before tallying 18 in Game 3's win.
Payne's ability to run the offense in place of Chris Paul combined with his energy and gauge for pushing the tempo has clearly been missed in Phoenix's first-round series.
The Suns may need his services even more if Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard returns to action after missing Game 3 with a right knee sprain. His status for Game 4 is still unknown.
