Game Recap: Ryan Dunn shines brightest as Suns win final home game of the season, 117-98

The Phoenix Suns snap losing streak in front of home crowd.

The Phoenix Suns hosted the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, winning in their final home game of the 2024-25 season. The win gives the Suns a final home record of 24-17 on the year.

The losing streak is officially over. The Phoenix Suns have finally notched their first win of April. Maybe it’s too little too late, but hey, it’s still a win.

Phoenix delivered knockout blows in both the second and third quarters, putting together matching 20–3 runs that added up to a 40–6 beatdown of the Spurs. That’s how you get right.

Ryan Dunn had himself a night, erupting for a career-high 26 points and pulling down 11 boards. He was everywhere. The Suns had no trouble dispatching San Antonio, handling business for once with authority.

The win bumps Phoenix to 36–45 on the season. While the 10 seed is completely out of reach, they stay planted in 11th—just ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers. So hey, we’ve got that going for us…which is nice.

Game Flow

First Half

The three-ball was flying early for both teams, but it was the Spurs who were connecting, while Ryan Dunn was clanking. He took four of the Suns’ first ten shots — all from beyond the arc — and made just one. Meanwhile, Julian Champagnie came out hot, hitting three of his first four from deep to give the Spurs an early six-point edge.

Former Sun Bismack Biyombo was surprisingly active offensively, putting up five shot attempts in the first quarter alone. I’m not sure he took that many in an entire game during his time in Phoenix.

Despite sharing the floor with Booker and Beal, Ryan Dunn continued to play a central role in the offense, finishing the first quarter with 10 points and 6 rebounds.

The Suns surrendered an 8-0 run late in the first quarter, giving San Antonio a jolt of momentum as they crossed the 30-point threshold, something Phoenix has allowed far too often this season. Devin Booker chipped in 9 points, but the Suns trailed 33-28 after one.

The second quarter opened with a deep freeze, as both teams combined to shoot just 4-of-16 from the field. But then Tyus Jones heated up, knocking down a pair of threes during a 20-3 Suns run that flipped the game and gave Phoenix a comfortable 8-point cushion.

San Antonio managed just 14 points in the quarter, equal to the combined output of Bradley Beal and Tyus Jones alone.

At the half, the Suns held a 53-47 lead.

Second Half

It didn’t take long for Ryan Dunn to make his presence felt in the second half. He scored 8 quick points during an 11-4 run, surpassing his career high in the process. With 8:44 remaining in the third, Dunn had 20 points to his name and helped push the Suns’ lead to 14.

The run continued during the third quarter as the Phoenix Suns found themselves up by 21 points with five minutes left in the period.

The third quarter was a clinic for the Phoenix Suns on both ends of the floor. San Antonio looked eerily similar to how Phoenix has at times this season—scrambling defensively, losing shooters, and giving up wide-open looks. To the Suns’ credit, they capitalized.

Phoenix outscored the Spurs 39–17 in the period, shooting 15-of-23 from the field and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Ryan Dunn poured in 12 points, Devin Booker added 7, and Bradley Beal chipped in 8 as the Suns entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 92–64 lead.

But San Antonio didn’t fold. A 20–7 run trimmed what was once a 31-point Suns lead down to a more manageable margin, prompting head coach Mike Budenholzer to reinsert his star of the night, Ryan Dunn.

With the Suns up by 17, “Bol Bol” chants began raining down from the crowd. Collin Gillespie answered with a pair of threes to nudge the lead back to 20—but Bud didn’t give the fans what they wanted.

Up Next

One more to go.

The Phoenix Suns’ season comes to an end on Sunday afternoon as the team faces the Sacramento Kings in Sac Town at 12:30pm.

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