Wizards at Celtics
The Washington Wizards look to win their fifth consecutive game when they hit the road to face the Boston Celtics on Sunday in the front end of a home-and-home set. The Wizards have won their last three outings by double-digits - including a 119-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets - to remain one game ahead of the streaking Atlanta Hawks at the top of the Southeast Division. Washington has kept its head above water on the road with a 4-3 record and hopes to beat the Celtics for the third straight time.
Boston aims to win three games in a row for the first time this season after cruising past the Los Angeles Lakers 113-96 on Friday. The Celtics have reeled off two consecutive victories to snap an ugly six-game home losing streak and hope to beat Washington at TD Garden for the first time since April 7, 2013. "We're playing better and playing smarter," power forward Jared Sullinger told reporters. "We learned a lot from all the games we gave away with the big leads."
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CSN Washington, CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (13-5): John Wall collected 12 assists, nine points and eight rebounds in the 119-89 win over the Nuggets on Friday. "I didn't have to do a lot of scoring," Wall told reporters. "A lot of my teammates were open so I just wanted to put pace in the game and find those guys." The Wizards - who set season highs in points (119), assists (35) and blocks (11) against Denver - had 11 players finish with at least two points or more on Friday.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (6-11): Tyler Zeller poured in a career-high 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the season in the win over the Lakers. "It's just one of those games I got going early," Zeller said. "Somehow I just ended up open all the time and I just made shots." Rajon Rondo flirted with a triple-double, contributing 16 assists, 12 points and eight rebounds against Los Angeles.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Celtics have won eight of the last 11 matchups with the Wizards
2. Washington has beaten Boston by an average of 21 points in the last two meetings.
3. Wall has dished out 40 assists while Rondo has racked up 43 in their last three games, respectively.