The Phoenix Suns beat the San Antonio Spurs in its home finale 117-98 behind Ryan Dunn’s career high 26 points, snapping an eight-game losing streak. The Suns played well in its 19-point victory but the game itself felt like a preseason game in October.
The Suns were up by as many as 31 points in Friday night’s win but that wasn’t enough to mask the bleak reality that its season was coming to a close. The Suns came in Friday night 10 games under .500 and nearly unrecognizable from the team that opened the season 8-1. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal were the only two players to start in the season opener and the home finale.
There were many open seats which was fitting for a matchup between two teams eliminated from playoff contention and without many marquee names,
no Durant, no Fox, no Wembanyama and even no coach Popovich as he continues to recover from a stroke he suffered in November.
Chris Paul was arguably the only other starter along with Beal and Booker that the casual NBA fan would recognize.
As for the dedicated Suns fans there was an incentive for them to get to the game early and stay until the clock hit triple zeros. Friday’s game was fan appreciation night and the first 5,000 fans in attendance got a voucher for a bobblehead they could collect at the games conclusion.
The bobblehead they received was not of Booker the fan favorite nor Durant the future hall of famer.
The Suns organization showed their fan appreciation by giving away a Bradley Beal bobblehead to remind Suns fans that the $50 million-man who averaged 17 points isn’t going anywhere.
The dispirited crowd was full of people trying to beat the Arizona-heat and capitalize on cheap tickets. The optimistic Arizona sports fans were just a few blocks down at Chase Field supporting the Diamondbacks in their young season.
There wasn’t a lot of energy during the game other than the occasional “We want Bol Bol” chants. Unfortunately for Suns fans they never got their wish as Bol Bol’s night ended without logging a minute.
As the game came to a close and fans hit the exits, the two words you heard over and over were “Next year.”
Well, you can’t mention next year as a Suns fan without pondering a few questions. The first question being who is going to replace coach Mike Budenholzer who got fired after just one season at the helm. The Suns are looking for its fourth head coach in as many seasons. The other dilemma facing the Suns is whether or not Durant will be back in a Suns uniform next year.
While getting a win in the final home game of the season is nice no matter what, there is no denying that the Suns have their work cut out for them this offseason.
After the Suns win, there were no fireworks like the ones at the nearby ballpark– just a Beal bobblehead and a sunset on a season to forget.
