Tuesday NBA Picks Nov 21

Suns vs. Blazers

Pick: Suns -13

Consider the difference in morale for these two squads. Phoenix has been boosted by the return of Devin Booker. They've won the last three games since his return and he's been effective with the ball in his hands - he had a crazy 15 assists on Friday. The Suns will be back at home tonight and they'll face a struggling Portland team that is currently 3-10, does not have an NBA-level point guard available, and has difficulty reaching 100 points. They have lost seven straight games, five of which were by double digits. Portland really struggles to shoot from beyond the arc. When Jerami Grant is your best three point shooter, you're in trouble. I think that's going to hurt them in this matchup and they wont be able to keep up. I think the Suns will try to embarrass

DeAndre Ayton and the Blazers in a 20 point win.

Hawks vs. Pacers

Pick: Hawks -4

I'm excited to see this matchup because I view these teams similarly in terms of where they're at in their roster building and level of performance this season. Both offenses are fun and both teams have impressive depth. I like the Hawks in this one, though. 2nd year forward Jalen Johnson has been awesome for Atlanta, averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds. I think he and Onyeka Okongwu can find success inside the paint for Atlanta. Couple that with Indiana's defensive struggles and the lethal shooting from Trae Young, Saddiq Bey, and Bogdan Bodganovic, and I see Atlanta coming out of this with a 7 point victory.

76ers vs. Cavs

Pick: Joel Embiid Over 29.5 Points

In theory, you might say Cleveland has good personnel to contain the great Joel Embiid. They're one of the few teams in the league that regularly starts two bigs - Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley - and both of them have reputations as good defenders. They just contained Nikola Jokic to 18 points on Sunday. Joel Embiid, however, shatters that theory into pieces. It does not matter how you defend him; he is going to dominate the game. He also takes great pleasure in destroying Jarrett Allen, going back to Allen's time in Brooklyn. See the obliteration dunk below. Embiid has scored over 30 points in 6 of his past 8 games. His playmaking ability is as good right now as it's ever been, and he's averaging 11 boards a night. I see him dominating again tonight.