The set-up: The 37-24 Washington Wizards have moved four games ahead of the Hawks in the Southeast Division and currently hold down the No. 3 seed in the East, plus are actually tied in the loss column with the second-seeded Celtics (Boston has played three more games than Washington, owning 40 wins to the Wizards' 37). The Wizards are in Phoenix tonight to take on the 21-42 Suns, who unlike the Lakers, seem to be 'sprinting to the finish line,' as opposed to 'tanking,' as long as we are "telling like it is!"

Washington: The Wizards were the NBA's hottest team entering the All Star break, winning 18 of 21 prior to the break. Washington lost its first two games coming out of the break but ha gone 3-1 since. The Wizards own a starting-five in which all players average in double digits. Guards Beal (22.9) and Wall (22.6-4.6-10.8) lead the way, while forwards Morris (14.6 & 6.7) and Porter (14.1 & 6.6) nicely complement center Gortat (11.7 & 11.2). However, reserve scoring was a major issue and Washington addressed that in acquiring Brooklyn's Bojan Bogdanovic, who was the leading scorer at the Rio Olympics. Bogdanovic exploded for 15 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 115-114 win over the Magic and he's now averaging 15.5 PPG in his six games with Washington.

Phoenix: While Bogdanovic is the only real change for Washington, the changes in Phoenix have been dramatic. The Suns seemed to be "mailing it in" after trading away P.J. Tucker and benching veterans Tyson Chandler (8.4 & 11.4) and Brandon Knight (11.0) in favor of younger players. However, it's turned out that the exact opposite has come to pass. The younger players are stepping up and proving they belong. Rookie PG Tyler Ulis, whose recent uptick in playing time has come at the expense of Knight, scored a season-high 20 points on Sunday and buried the winning three-pointer at the buzzer after a steal. 6-7 power forward Alan Williams has posted a double-double in three straight and four of the last five contests (he's averaging 13.8 & 11.6 in that span). Then there is 6-11 rookie Marquese Chriss, who recorded a season-high five blocks on Sunday and has averaged 12.1 PPG his last seven.

The pick: The Wizards have an excellent backcourt but let's not dismiss the Suns' backcourt duo too quickly. Most NBA teams would love to send out guys like Bledsoe (21.2-4.9-6.4) and Booker (20.7) night-in and night-out. This game begins a brutal stretch for the Wizards, who have two five-game trips remaining. They also play five sets of back-to-backs in March, the first of which concludes tomorrow night at Denver. Meanwhile, the Suns have already beaten two Eastern clubs -- Charlotte and Boston -- on their current homestand and they are 13-9 against Eastern opponents on the season. Phoenix is an 8* play.