Tip-off: Monday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Houston -4, Total: 198

The Wizards look to pick up their third straight victory when they visit the Rockets.

Houston went into San Antonio on Sunday and lost 110-106 as a 1-point road underdog. The team had won-and-covered in two straight before running into the defending champs. Washington, meanwhile, beat the Celtics 101-88 at home on Saturday. The club has now won-and-covered in two straight games. These two teams met twice last season and Houston prevailed in both games SU, but the teams split victories ATS. Since 1996, the Rockets are 15-2 SU and 10-7 ATS when hosting the Wizards. In the past 10 meetings between these teams overall, the Rockets are 8-2 SU, but just 4-6 ATS. Over the past three seasons, Washington is 9-0 ATS in road games after scoring 55+ points in the first half of two straight contests. The team is also 17-6 ATS in road games where the total is between 190 and 199.5 points over the past two years. The Rockets, meanwhile, are 30-11 ATS after a game committing 23+ turnovers since 1996. Houston has also gone Over the total in four straight games. SG Martell Webster (back) is questionable for Washington and SG Alexey Shved (ankle) is questionable for the Rockets.

Can the Wizards extend their win streak on Monday? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. While StatFox Forecaster has a strong 56% ATS record (80-62-1) in featured games this season, the five experts have been profitable recently with a collective 53.3% ATS mark (57-50-2) in NBA Best Bets since Nov. 29. StatFox Gary is 62% ATS (13-8) during this timeframe to give him a 57% ATS (25-19) in NBA Best Bets this season, while StatFox Brian is 61% ATS (14-9) since Nov. 29 to improve to a 53.3% ATS record (24-21) in NBA Best Bets this season.

The Wizards are coming off of a 101-88 victory over the Celtics and PG John Wall (17.8 PPG, 10.3 APG, 2.1 SPG) has been playing some of the best basketball of his career this season. Wall had just 12 points and seven assists in 28 minutes against the Celtics, but that’s all the Wizards needed of him in a convincing win. Wall’s playmaking ability has been on full display this month, as he’s had 10+ assists in 11 of the 15 games his team has played in the month of December. There should be plenty of offense against this high-octane Houston team, so he should find a way to get his team to opportunities in this one. SG Bradley Beal (14.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.0 APG) will be faced with the tough task of guarding James Harden in this one. Beal must remain disciplined on the defensive end, as his team will need him to score points down the stretch as well. He had just nine points in the win over Boston last game, but he had 17 points, five assists and five rebounds in the Wizards’ previous victory over the Knicks, and is starting to regain his form after an injured derailed him early in the season. If C Marcin Gortat (12.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG) can hold his own against Dwight Howard, then the Wizards should have a great chance of picking up a huge road win.

The Rockets were unable to beat the Spurs on Sunday, but they must quickly regroup and focus on a very good Washington team. SG James Harden (27.2 PPG, 7.0 APG, 6.1 RPG) had 28 points and five assists in a loss to the Spurs on Sunday. He’s been on fire as of late, averaging 34.7 PPG over the past three contests. He’ll see plenty of time as the Rockets’ primary ball-handler and should be able to score and make plays for his teammates as well, as he’s averaging 8.2 APG over the past five contests. C Dwight Howard (18.8 PPG, 12.2 RPG) had one of his best games of the season on Sunday, finishing with 24 points and 17 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Injuries have really made things difficult on the Rockets’ big man this season, but he finally looked 100 percent in the loss to San Antonio. It will be a huge step forward if he can do it in back-to-back nights, especially against a great center like Gortat. PF Josh Smith (13.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 4.5 APG) was great in his debut for Houston, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds in a 117-111 win over Memphis last Friday. He did, however, struggle against San Antonio on Sunday with just five points and eight rebounds. Smith also was in foul trouble throughout the game. Houston will need him to contribute against Washington, so he must stay out of foul trouble and take high percentage shots.