Game Preview: Mavericks v Suns

The Dallas Mavericks face the second night of a back-to-back, as they play host
to the Phoenix Suns, at American Airlines Center on Saturday evening. The Mavs
(28-36) have won four straight, as they continue their miraculous push for the
eighth seed in the West. They are coming off a 105-96 home win against the Nets
on Friday, where Harrison Barnes led the way with 21 points, while Seth Curry
followed up with 18 and Yogi Ferrell added 17 points. The Mavs are 6-4 in their
last 10 games and sit only 1.5 games behind the eighth-place Nuggets. They have
won their last six games at home, where they are 20-14 so far this season.
Nerlens Noel (knee) missed the last contest and remains questionable for action
on Saturday. The Mavs are one of three teams that hold opponents to an average
of less than 100 points per game. Meanwhile, the Suns (21-44) sit 14th place in
the West, well out of playoff contention. They recently had a nice three-game
win streak but followed it up with two straight losses, and are 4-6 in their
last 10. Tyson Chandler has been out of the rotation for a while now, as the
Suns are letting their younger guys get some run. Alan Williams has made good
use of extended playing time, as he has scored in double digits in eight
straight games, while notching double-doubles in six of those games. The Suns
have lost six straight on the road, where they are 8-24 so far this season.