Wizards to hang with Celtics as home dogs

The Celtics have not been right lately going 2-3 ATS, and they could be in for a stiff challenge in Washington tonight. The Wizards have covered 62 percent of their games, and they have been tough as underdogs lately. They also have the outside shooting to keep pace with Boston, and they have been getting balanced scoring without  Arenas, like Friday when four starters scored double-figures.

The Boston Celtics have the best record in the world at 30-4, but they have not been at their best as of late and may have a surprise in store for them when they visit the Washington Wizards tonight.

The Celtics are 2-3 against the spread in their last five games, including an embarrassing outright home loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, and they were not particularly impressive while barely covering in an 86-77 win at New Jersey last night. They came back from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter, as they outscored the Nets 23-9 during that frame. Yes, the Boston defense had a lot to do with that, but the Nets also missed several open looks and squandered some possessions altogether.

If the Celtics continue their lethargic play, they probably will not get as lucky tonight vs. this Wizards team. Washington has been one of the better bets in the NBA this season at 21-13 ATS, and they have maintained that form well going 6-2 ATS in the last eight games. They also have the perimeter shooters to shoot over the stiff Boston defense, and four of their five starters reached double-digits in a 102-98 win at Atlanta last night. Their only offensive weak spot is at the center position, but that is neutralized by the fact that the Celtics are not getting much offensively out of Kendrick Perkins either.

Finally, the Wizards are 4-2 ATS the last six times they have been underdogs while winning three of those games outright. They certainly have a shot at the outright upset tonight too, but we really like them to stay inside this rather large spread at home.

Free Pick: Wizards +7