Tip-off: Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Celtics -1.5, Total: 217

There’s plenty of drama surrounding tonight’s tilt at the Verizon Center.

Boston vs. Washington has quickly become a heated Eastern Conference rivalry, to the point where the Wizards have decided to wear black in advance of Wednesday night’s game to indicate that they will be giving the Celtics a “funeral.” The animosity goes back to a series of incidents last season, but more recently police officers had to stand between the two teams’ locker rooms at the TD Garden to keep them separated. The Wizards will come in confident, having won eight of their last 10 and beating the Hornets 109-99 on the road Monday night (WAS +6.5). At 24-20 on the year (25-19 ATS), Washington is in line for the No. 5 seed in the East. They’re not far behind the Celtics, who are 26-17 (23-18-2 ATS) after two consecutive losses at home, 117-106 to the Knicks last Wednesday (NYK +8.5) and 127-123 to the Blazers in overtime on Saturday (POR +8). They stand at third place in the conference, 1.5 games behind the Raptors and a game ahead of the Hawks. Over the last five seasons, road teams playing only their fourth game (or fewer) in 10 days (BOS) are 108-65 ATS on Tuesday nights. In the same time frame, teams averaging at least 102 points per game that have scored 55 or more points in the first half of two straight games are 106-58 ATS after 42+ games into the season against teams allowing at least 102 points per game. Celtics SG Avery Bradley will remain out Tuesday night, and SF Gerald Green will likely be out, as well.

The Celtics offense has impressed this year, ranking seventh in the NBA with an offensive efficiency rating of 111.5 points scored per 100 possessions, and they play at a slightly below average pace of 95.8 possessions per 48 minutes. Their defense, however, has been a disappointment at 22nd in the league with a defensive efficiency rating of 109.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. Not having Bradley (17.7, 6.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG) especially hurts them on that end of the court, as he leads the team in steals and is especially essential against teams like the Wizards that have multiple stars on the perimeter. He is the Celtics’ second-leading scorer and, somehow, their leading rebounder—Boston has the third-worst rebounding differential in the NBA at -4.1. C Al Horford (15.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.7 BPG) pulls down about just as many, but it stands out as a weakness in his well-rounded game, considering his size and position. PG Isaiah Thomas (29.0 PPG, 6.0 APG) has been one of the best stories in the entire NBA this year. He is second in the NBA in scoring and has proven himself to be an absolute killer in crunch-time, averaging 10.1 points in fourth quarters—the most of any player since 1996. He’s not just jacking shots, either; he has an effective field goal percentage of 57.0 and a true shooting percentage of 67.3 in the fourth. SF Jae Crowder (13.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG) is scoring less than last season but is shooting a career-best 42.6% from deep. PG Marcus Smart (9.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.5 SPG) takes on an increasingly important role in Bradley’s absence.

At 109.1 points scored per 100 possessions, Washington is tied for the league’s 11th-best offensive efficiency rating. They allow 108.6 points per 100 possessions, which is 17th in the NBA. Their pace of 96.6 possessions per 48 minutes puts them right in the middle of the pack. While always brilliant, PG John Wall (23.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 10.2 APG, 2.2 SPG) has looked especially electric this season due to playing on a winning team. He is third in the league in assists and second in steals, and he is sixth among point guards in scoring. He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month in December, and has only slowed down slightly in the new year. He was dismal against the Celtics in the teams’ infamous showdown earlier this month, making four of 21 shots to score only nine points on the evening. Then, he slapped Jae Crowder after the game. Known mostly for injuries before this season began, SG Bradley Beal (21.6 PPG, 3.6 APG, 1.0 SPG) has somehow developed into the perimeter scorer the Wizards hoped he would be when they drafted him third overall in 2012. He is good from the outside with a 38.6 three-point percentage, but has impressed primarily with his ability to score in other ways. He toasted the Celtics for 35 points on 50.0% shooting earlier this month. SF Otto Porter (14.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG) was drafted third overall a year later than Bradley was and, while he hasn’t quite lived up to that billing, he has also improved this year. He is sixth among NBA small forwards in rebounding and eighth in steals. PF Markieff Morris (13.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG) and C Marcin Gortat (11.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 1.0 BPG) round out the starting lineup. Gortat is ninth in the league in rebounding.