Two of the hottest teams in the East will clash at Philips Arena Monday night when the Atlanta Hawks entertain the Washington Wizards for the opener of a home-and-home set. The home team has won five straight but the visitors are almost as good with four consecutive victories, and I think the Wizards are catching too many points on the road tonight.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Motivational - The Wizards recent surge have them only 1 1/2 games behind Chicago and Detroit for the last wild card in the conference. They can not afford to take the foot of the gas pedal though while Atlanta is in a more comfortable spot "only" battling for the No. 3 spot and homecourt advantage in the first round of the postseason.

2. The Wizards Defense - Washington can match up with some of the best teams in the league offensively but has struggled at the other end instead, but its defense has stepped up in recent games allowing only an average of 90 points during the winning streak. Much credit should go to Markieff Morris who has been solid since coming over from Phoenix.

3. X-Factor - John Wall has hit 15-of-31 from 3-point range in his last seven games against Atlanta and he recorded a fifth consecutive double-double in Saturday's 99-89 win against the Knicks.

Selection: This is a play on the Washington Wizards (10*)