The Phoenix Suns travel to Texas to face the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on Friday.

The Suns (18-26) own a 7-6 record across their last 13 games which is really encouraging after losing eight-straight before that. The eight-game skid is probably the one thing keeping this from being a playoff contender and the absence of DeAndre Ayton is surely a major reason why they struggled. He's back now and balling out though, averaging about 20 points and 10 rebounds per game since being reinserted into the starting lineup. What's really discouraging is the fact that they took a 25-point home loss on Wednesday at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. Phoenix appeared to be playing much better before that but defeats like that are simply unacceptable from a team who wants to reach the postseason.

The Spurs (20-23) enter this matchup in the midst of a three-game winning streak and it appears this club's early-season woes are a thing of the past. What really has fan excited is the nature of those victories, grabbing wins over the New Orleans Pelicans, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks over their last six victories. That's an impressive stretch from anyone and getting those tough matchups out of the way should make way for an easier schedule down the line. That's big news for a team who's trying to continue their 20-year playoff streak and it would be silly to bet against them with consistency like that.

These teams have played two competitive games this season, with San Antonio winning both in equal two-point margins. That gives the Spurs 18 wins in their last 20 meetings with the Suns in total.