Boston @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 13, 2019 ) Washington 133, Boston 140

The Boston Celtics pursue a fifth consecutive road win when they visit the Washington Wizards on Monday. Playing without Kemba Walker (illness) for the second straight time, the Celtics got past the Chicago Bulls 111-104 to begin their two-game road trip Saturday night.

Jayson Tatum bounced back from a poor shooting night in a win over Atlanta on Friday by torching the Bulls for 28 points on 12-of-15 from the floor as Boston won its eighth in the last nine games. "That's the good thing about this league," Tatum, who was 2-of-16 against the Hawks, told reporters. "If you play good or play bad, you need to forget about the last one." The Wizards are 2-3 on their current six-game homestand with impressive wins over Miami and Denver in the stretch. Despite playing without All-Star guard Bradley Beal (leg), Washington defeated the Nuggets 128-114 on Saturday.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Boston, NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE CELTICS (25-8): Coach Brad Stevens told the media that there is a chance Walker could play Monday. In the meantime, Stevens was pleased with how Tatum got himself into the right frame of mind on the offensive side of the court. "I thought today, when he caught it, he didn't dance in the first half," Stevens told reporters of Tatum. "He caught it on the run and drove it to the rim and made a number of good plays. Got some finishes to go."

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (11-24): With Beal and the team's next three top scorers out Saturday, veteran Ish Smith took charge with a career-high 32 points and fellow reserveTroy Brown Jr. added 25. "Those shots fell for me tonight," Smith told the media after making 15-of-24 shots and recording eight assists with zero turnovers. "We got a really good win against a really good team." Beal, who scored 44 points in a 140-133 loss to Boston earlier this season, is considered day-to-day.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Celtics SF Gordon Hayward scored 24 points at Chicago and is averaging 21 over his last three games.

2. Brown was 10-of-12 from the floor Saturday while also grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds.

3. Boston has won four straight in the series.

PREDICTION: Celtics 114, Wizards 109