Even though the Suns got off to a great start, they evidently hit a slump as of late, dropping six of their last ten games. Hoping to stay in the playoff mix, Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns will take on the Dallas Mavericks on Friday at 3:30 a.m. GMT.

Much like Phoenix, Dallas also slowed down a bit recently and fell to the third place in the Western Conference last week. However, former MVP Dirk Nowitzki and company bounced back with their biggest win in franchise history, a 50-point blowout versus the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon. Likewise, it should be noted that the Mavs experienced an unfavorable schedule as they had to play a lot of road games up to this point. That said, Dallas’ role players might have to step up and perform more consistently if the Mavericks want to become a legitimate candidate for a Conference Finals appearance. After all, coach Rick Carlisle squad lost quite a few games despite franchise cornerstone Dirk Nowitzki putting up big numbers. So far, Nowitzki has been averaging 25.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 38 minutes per contest.

In contrast, very few expected the Suns to play particularly well in this year’s NBA campaign. More specifically, Phoenix failed to make it to the post-season last year and traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the off-season. Yet, the team around Amar’e Stoudemire evidently fits well together and has been playing spectacular up-tempo basketball night in and night out. Albeit their defense has been mediocre at best, Nash and Stoudemire managed to carry the franchise from Arizona to a solid 26-19 record. Taking everything into account, fans around the league can expect a fast-paced ball game between two fairly even teams on Friday night. The Mavs might have a slight advantage defensively, but will have to bring their A-Game to avoid a loss at US Airways Center.

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