The set-up: While I wouldn't be completely shocked by an outright upset, in a contest which I envision being decided by whichever of these hungry teams has its hands on the ball last, I'm going to grab the points. Both teams have struggled this year (Washington is just 13-21 and Detroit only 15-16.) The Wizards come in desperate for a victory after dropping five of their last seven. The Pistons can empathize with their counterparts today as they've gone just 3-9 in December. Most recently Detroit fell 98-95 at home to the lowly Hawks.

The pick: Take it for what you will though, but Washington is already 3-1 ATS this year after failing to cover the spread in four straight games, while Detroit is just 3-7 ATS this season as a home favorite. This one has "nail-biter" written all over it. Grab the points.

8* play