Atlanta at Washington

Washington's defense has been the best in the league over its last 15 games, a stretch that's produced a 10-5 record even though this offense has ranked dead last in efficiency over the same run. That gap matters against an Atlanta team that just lit it up from deep, hitting 14 threes at 42.4 percent to tie a season high in Wednesday's win over Phoenix. Backing a team that just shot that hot against a defense built to make sure it doesn't happen twice again is exactly the spot where the number tends to travel. We had the first-half OVER in Washington's comeback win over Dallas Tuesday, and it cashed easily before the Mystics defense shut the door in the second half of a 96-92 finish, the same pattern this defense has leaned on for weeks. Washington also beat Atlanta by 5 points the last time these teams met in this building. Atlanta is a shaky 10-18 against the spread as a favorite this season, while Washington has covered eight of its last nine as a home underdog. Take Washington with the points tonight.