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Ryan Dunn Drops 26-Point Double-Double in Phoenix Suns Win

Matt Newton

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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The season may be over for the Phoenix Suns, but don't tell that to Ryan Dunn. Having been eliminated from playoff contention two days earlier, former Virginia basketball star Ryan Dunn played like it was game 7 of the NBA Finals, scoring a career-high 26 points and posting his second double-double of his rookie season to lead the Suns to a 117-98 victory on Friday night, snapping an eight-game losing streak for Phoenix.

Dunn started for the 43rd time this season and scored in double figures for the third game in a row and 21st time this season. He made 10 shots in a game for the first time in his professional career, shooting 10/21 from the floor and 4/11 from beyond the arc, making four threes in a game for the second time this season. Dunn collected 11 rebounds for his second-career double-double and also recorded one assist and one steal. His 26 points surpassed his previous career-high of 18 points set on January 16th against the Washington Wizards. Dunn was +34 in 34 minutes on the floor.

Watch the highlights from Ryan Dunn's 26-point, 11-rebound double-double in the video below:

Dunn has had a solid rookie season for the Suns, averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Assuming he plays and starts in Sunday's season finale on the road at the Sacramento Kings, Dunn will finish his rookie year having played in 74 games with 44 starts.

Dunn wasn't the only former Wahoo who had a standout performance on the penultimate day of the NBA regular season. Sam Hauser scored 20 points in a game for the fourth time this season, dropping 20 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 22 minutes off the bench for the Boston Celtics in their 130-94 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. He had another efficient shooting night, going 7/12 from the floor and 6/9 from beyond the arc, his third game of the season with more than five three-pointers.

Reece Beekman got his fourth-consecutive start and scored in double figures for the second time, finishing with 11 points, three assists, three steals, and two rebounds in the Brooklyn Nets' 117-91 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

The 2024-2025 NBA regular season will conclude on Sunday, finalizing the bracket and matchups for the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Three former Wahoos have secured spots in the NBA Playoffs, while another is headed for the Play-In Tournament.

Ty Jerome, De'Andre Hunter and the Cleveland Cavaliers have secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They'll take on one of the two teams that comes out of the Play-In Tournament, which could be the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, or Miami Heat. Similarly, Sam Hauser and the reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics will also take on one of the play-in teams as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The only former Wahoo on a postseason-bound Western Conference team is Jay Huff, who is on the active roster of the Memphis Grizzlies, but has played only limited minutes recently. The Grizzlies are currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and will compete in the Play-In Tournament to try to lock up a playoff spot, which could have them taking on either the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder or the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.