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Free NBA Picks Today for Saturday, November 20th, 2021

With so many games on each day, we have selected the top five games and made our best NBA predictions for Saturday, November 20th.

Free NBA Picks Today for Saturday, November 20th, 2021
Picks & Predictions
Sat 20th November 2021

Our free NBA Picks are out for Saturday, November 20th, 2021! Make sure you check our NBA Picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NBA Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!

Miami Heat @ Washington Wizards – 7pm ET

Following a big win in South Beach on Thursday night, the Miami Heat will be looking to sweep their home-and-home series with the Washington Wizards tonight. Both sides are tied with Brooklyn and Chicago on top of the East with just five losses, meaning once again this game has massive implications for the standings. 

Denis Kirilov

The Miami Heat will have to go face-to-face with the Washington Wizards in a rematch of their game on Thursday when the Heat took the win by 15 points. They slowly, but surely built their lead which was kept between 10 and 20 points for the last 20 minutes of the match. Dinwiddie missed the game for the Wizards and this was probably the main reason for their helplessness. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo versus Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma was pretty much an even duel, but the biggest difference came from the rest of Miami’s roster. Their 25-year-old guard, Gabe Vincent, had one of his best nights in the NBA, scoring 18 points on 50% from the field and on 3-6 from beyond the arc.

The bad news for the Heat is coming from Bam Adebayo who is questionable for the upcoming fixture. Tyler Herro is also uncertain, but he will most likely take part in the match against the Wizards. For Washington, Spencer Dinwiddie should return as he was given some rest in their previous meeting. Both teams are in the top 4 of the East with Miami leading with 11 wins and 5 losses, while the Wizards are 4th in the current standings holding a 10-5 record. I think this might be a closer game than the previous, but I still think the Heat will prevail in the end. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Miami Heat (-120)

Michael Lantz

After facing off on Thursday night, the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards are back at it on Saturday in the nation’s capital. As Miami sits back at full-strength, they showed Washington that they are still on another level, beating the Wiz 112-97. After this South Beach showdown, Washington will try to take it home and beat the Heat, to avoid Miami from implementing a hostile takeover atop the Eastern Conference. 

So far, Washington is 6-1 at home, with a 109-100 loss to the Toronto Raptors being their only defeat in D.C. Against the Heat, the Wizards were without Spencer Dinwiddie who, despite an awful game against the Hornets on Wednesday, has been a graceful presence for this Washington team. Luckily, the veteran guard should be back for Saturday’s matchup. The Heat, on the other hand, have been thrilled to have Jimmy Butler back in the lineup. Butler has scored 30+ in both games since his return, as he looks to guide the Heat back to the top of the conference and potentially the league. I’ll take the Heat on the road.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat (-120)

Noah Dunlap

These two teams are set to square off in their second meeting in three days, with the Miami Heat coming out victorious in the first matchup, notching a 15-point win. In this one, they could potentially be without Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, which would limit to a massive degree what the offense has been able to accomplish so far this season. With a roster that has shown the ability to step up when needed, and has been one of the more balanced team in the league, I think Miami is still okay if Bam and Herro don’t play, but it would certainly make me rethink a gambling pick with this one.

Washington is also one of the best teams, not only in the Eastern Conference, but the league, and I think the double-digit loss on Thursday was a bit of an aberration. With Bradley Beal leading the way, but also getting help from Kyle Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie as of late, as well. I think Beal comes out hot, with Dinwiddie excited to be back in the lineup after getting rest in their last outing, also coming out playing well, and I look for Washington to avenge Thursday night’s loss by getting a win on their home floor against what may be the best team in the conference. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Washington Wizards (+102)

Charlotte Hornets @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30pm ET

One night after an exciting, high scoring win over the Pacers, the Charlotte Hornets will look to overcome another underperforming team in the East, the Atlanta Hawks. While the Hornets are exceeding expectations so far this season, the Hawks find themselves two games under 0.500 and in desperate need of some revitalised performances. 

Denis Kirilov

After almost losing a 25-point lead against the Indiana Pacers, the Charlotte Hornets will travel to Atlanta in an attempt to get their sixth win in a row. The Hornets are in a fantastic run as they defeated some of the best teams in the NBA including the Golden State Warriors, the Washington Wizards, and the New York Knicks. LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward are playing very well together and their mutual understanding gives the long-awaited results for the team. The Hornets are 5th in the East above Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Boston, and Atlanta themselves.

The Hawks struggled in the beginning of the season as they started off with 4 wins and 9 losses. Eventually, they managed to bounce back by getting three wins in a row. However, Trae Young is still trying to find the perfect rhythm, but before that he will definitely need some more help from his teammates like John Collins and Kevin Huerter. The Hawks are favorites in this game, but I think they will need to break some sweat before leaving State Farm Arena victorious. In terms of Charlotte’s performance in the upcoming match, I expect them to at least drive the game down the wire, so I will trust them to cover the spread of 6 points. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets +6 (-110)

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Michael Lantz

The Charlotte Hornets were able to better the Indiana Pacers in a high-scoring affair on Friday night, winning 121-118. Charlotte’s young star LaMelo Ball was electric: he scored 32 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and had 8 assists, as his rise to superstardom continued to ascend. The Hornets are now winners of four straight, showing that their team of offensive firepower can hang with the best in the East.

The Atlanta Hawks will look to put an end to that run. Last season’s Eastern Conference runner-ups, are coming off three straight wins, including a 110-99 victory over a Boston Celtics team that had won five out of seven, with both losses in that span being by one possession. After starting slow, this Hawks team is finally turning in the performances we expected from them when the season started. But, will they continue it against one of the NBA’s hottest teams? Atlanta’s moneyline is a bit high at -255, going against a team in Charlotte that’s been on fire. But, I’m not fully convinced about a straight up Hornets win either. I’ll go with Charlotte to cover. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets +6 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

Charlotte got a bigger scare in last night’s game than it looked like they were originally in store for, as their 25-point lead eventually ended in a 3-point win. While it may have been ugly, in the Association, a win is a win, and that’s all the Hornets care about. With LaMelo Ball continuing his hot play to open the season, and getting solid help from Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges, I like Charlotte to continue the run that they’re on that has seen them play some great basketball. 

It doesn’t help that Atlanta has been struggling lately, as Trae Young hasn’t been getting any help from his supporting cast. Atlanta as a whole isn’t a bad team, but without help from the rest of the roster, Young is going to continue to struggle to carry the load himself, and against a team that is on the run that Charlotte is on, I don’t know how much of a chance the Hawks stand in this one. If Clint Capela and John Collins show up and play well, they could make this one a ballgame, but I’ve seen no evidence lately that that is actually going to happen, so take the Hornets to take care of business, and extend this current winning streak to six. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets (+210)

Memphis Grizzlies @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 8pm ET

Two sides that are both in the midst of a two-game winning streak face off as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies face off. This is the second of four meetings between the sides this season, with the first game being an overtime thriller that Memphis won by seven.

Denis Kirilov

The Memphis Grizzlies started off the season very well with Ja Morant getting vast attention from the whole NBA community. After 15 games, they are 7th with 8 wins and 7 losses as they are also coming into this match on a 2-game winning streak. On Monday, the Grizzlies defeated the Rockets at home with which they managed to put an end to their losing momentum. Three days later, they faced off against the Los Angeles Clippers in their FedExForum and none other than Ja Morant, himself, took the responsibility and led his team to the final victory. He has 6 matches in a row where he drops more than 20 points. He has scored 30+ points on four different occasions from the beginning of the 2021/22 NBA season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will highly rely on their attacking trio – Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell. They have shown us that they can carry the team on their own, but they will still need a bit of help from their defense. The Timberwolves are 12th in the West, struggling to reach the 50% win-rate mark, being 6 out of 15 so far. However, they were even worse a few days ago before they even got two wins against the Kings and the Spurs in their Target Center in Minneapolis. Among these two rosters, I would say that the Grizzlies might have a shot at the Playoffs, but Minnesota will have to rely on catching some of the last spots that will lead to the tie-breaker games. In my opinion, Memphis should be able to get the victory in this matchup.

Denis’ NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (+102)

Michael Lantz

After a three game skid, the Memphis Grizzlies are back to overpowering their opponents. They continue to thrive as one of the ten best offenses in basketball, with Ja Morant leading the way. The third year player is averaging 26 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, while shooting 50% from the field as he continues his rise to stardom. On Saturday night, he’ll face another top pick from the following draft class: Anthony Edwards. Edwards is scoring 22.5 points per game in his second season and is already becoming a fan-favorite in the Twin Cities. The Timberwolves may not be playoff ready yet, after starting the season 6-9, but between Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns, and D’Angelo Russell, they’re giving fans something to get excited about. 

But, back to Memphis—the Grizzlies are 8-7, but also produce one of the league’s worst defenses. This triple threat of Minnesota will take advantage of that to the best of their abilities; at home I expect them to play to the crowd. Even though I think Memphis is the better team, I expect the confident Minnesota bunch to give them a tough time. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (-120)

Noah Dunlap

After a really good start to the season, largely behind phenomenal play from Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies hit a bit of a rough stretch, and watched themselves slip, including a totally inexcusable loss to New Orleans, but have since rebounded with back-to-back wins over Houston and the LA Clippers. This play is again largely due to Morant, but he’s also gotten help from Jaren Jackson Jr., and with Dillon Brooks finally returning to the lineup, things have only gotten better for Ja and Memphis. 

Now they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that has been the very definition of average so far this season. Karl-Anthony Towns has been playing well, and with Anthony Edwards continuing to improve in year two, I do think Minnesota is only going to get better. The question is whether or not that improvement shows up in this one. I think the answer is yes. Memphis hasn’t shown the ability to stay consistent for more than a few games so far this year, and I think that trend continues in this one. Take the ‘Wolves to get a tight win on the road in this one. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (-120)

Philadelphia 76ers @ Portland Trail Blazers – 10pm ET

The Portland Trail Blazers continue to roll on at home, winning their seventh straight game inside the Moda Center on Wednesday. They now host the Philadelphia 76ers tonight who are still without Joel Embiid, however they did manage to win their first game without him over this stretch, after five straight losses. Can the Sixers pick up another road win without their star or can the Blazers win an eighth straight at home?

Denis Kirilov

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a disarray at the moment as they have half of their squad available to play. Joel Embiid and a couple of other players are put in the Covid-19 Protocol and they are expected to miss some more games for the team. Danny Green suffers from a muscle injury, while Ben Simmons is suspended indefinitely. Even with these existing issues they managed to clinch the victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. They defeated Nikola Jokic and his teammates by 14 points which brought them back to the winning path after 5 consecutive losses. This was also the first victory for the 76ers without Joel Embiid in their starting lineup during this campaign.

The situation within the Portland Trail Blazers is also interesting. Damian Lillard might be dropping around 20 points per game, but his FG% and especially his 3PM% is horrendous. From the field he averages 38.3%, while from the 3-point line he is at 28.3% for these 15 games. Comparing these percentages to his career ones which are 43.7% and 37.3% makes me think that something is not right with the Blazers’ shining diamond. CJ McCollum also struggles to lead his team past this mini-crisis that Lillard finds himself into. Having all this in mind, I would go with one of the most obvious picks in this game and this will be “under 217.5 points”. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Under 217.5 (-110)

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Michael Lantz

The Portland Trail Blazers pulled off a huge win at home on Wednesday night as they beat one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams, the Chicago Bulls. The Blazers had a wide-spread scoring attack with standout performances from Damian Lillard, Josef Nurkic, and Norman Powell. On Saturday evening, the Blazers play host to a 76ers team that just had a big win themselves.

The 76ers have struggled since Joel Embiid was sidelined with COVID, going 0-5 across the first five games he had missed; then Thursday night happened. The 76ers got a double-digit win against the Nuggets and MVP Nikola Jokic in Denver. The 76ers needed that confidence boosting win and they hope to carry it over to their game against Portland. Despite the Trail Blazers inconsistencies this season, I just don’t see them losing to a Sixers team without their best player (Embiid) and best perimeter defender (Matisse Thybulle). I’ll go with the Blazers to cover.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers -6.5 (-106)

Noah Dunlap

Despite the random, surprising win over Denver in their last outing, this Philadelphia team is all out of sorts at the moment. Without Joel Embiid in the lineup, due to Covid protocols, the Sixers haven’t even looked remotely close to the same team we’ve grown to expect, and I don’t think that’s something that changes anytime soon. 

The Portland Trail Blazers aren’t in much better shape at the moment, however, as they can’t find any rhythm at all. Damian Lillard has looked absolutely abysmal this season, as while he’s putting up decent scoring numbers, the efficiency has been terrible, and it doesn’t show any signs of improving. CJ McCollum is playing decent basketball, but isn’t the kind of player to be able to lead a team himself, and with Dame being extremely inconsistent, I don’t know how you can feel confident with any pick that shows a positive view of what’s going on in Portland. With that being said, the spread seems way too big for me, so I’m taking the Sixers to cover.

Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers +6.5 (-106)

Utah Jazz @ Sacramento Kings – 10pm ET

The Sacramento Kings will be looking to end their two-game losing streak when they host the Utah Jazz tonight. The Kings are backing up after a poor performance last night, losing to the Raptors by 20, while the Jazz have won two straight and are sitting comfortably in third in the West.  

Denis Kirilov

The Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings will wrap up the games on Saturday in the NBA. The Jazz found themselves in a tight spot a couple of days ago when they had lost 4 out of their last 5 games. They eventually bounced back with two straight convincing victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. They have once again proved that they will rely mostly on the depth within their roster as plenty of players can come up huge in a particular game and compensate for the bad performance of somebody in the team. 

The Sacramento Kings are 10th in the Western Conference with 6 wins out of 16 matches. They started off on a positive note, but didn’t succeed in transferring this performance into the following weeks. The Kings lost 6 out of their last 7 games as they didn’t stand much chance in most of these encounters. De’Aaron Fox is doing everything he can, but without the help of Richaun Holmes, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes, the team is going nowhere. The Utah Jazz are experienced enough to use such weakness in their favor, so I am leaning towards the Jazz in this meeting. They are also capable of building a lead in the first half and to gradually extend it as the last minutes approach which will further help them to cover their spread.

Denis’ NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -7.5 (-110)

Michael Lantz

After what looked like a promising start for the Kings in 2021-22, things have taken a turn for the worse, as the team sits at 6-10, with coach Luke Walton being on the hot seat. The Kings have so much offensive talent, they have been a frustrating team to watch try and put the pieces together. On Friday night, things got worse as they were blown out by the Toronto Raptors 108-89 at home. 24 hours later, they’ll take on the Utah Jazz—a team that’s looking to get back in the swing of things after a rough couple of games. 

Utah is trying to get hot again, as they just recorded consecutive wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. In those games the team had two of their best offensive performances of the season, shooting 52% against Philadelphia and then 55% against Toronto. They look to keep the offense going strong as they play a Sacramento team that sits right behind them in points per game, but aren’t exactly convincing on defense.  On the other side of the ball, the Jazz have been exceptional in most defensive categories, whereas Sacramento gives up plenty of points per game, but are pretty middle of the pack in opposing field goal and three point percentage. The big difference is, Sacramento gives up a ton of offensive rebounds. With Rudy Gobert under the rim for the Jazz, that should create plenty of second chance opportunities. I’ll expect Utah to take care of the offensive rebounds and, for that matter,  the game as they play a struggling Kings squad on short rest. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -7.5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

After a solid start that was right on par for Utah over the past few years, they did hit a bit of a lull for roughly two weeks. The good news for Jazz fans is that they appear to have gotten through that rough stretch, as they have now taken care of business in two straight, both in relatively dominant fashion. They’ve gotten back on track in much the same way they’ve been dominating over the past few seasons, which is through a roster that is absurdly deep. With Rudy Gobert down low, and having Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, and Jordan Clarkson around the perimeter, Utah has one of the best rosters in the league, and I don’t expect many of those rough stretches throughout the season. 

After a decent start to the year, Sacramento has turned into what was expected of them coming into the season, having lost seven of their last eight, and looking pretty awful in a lot of those outings. The roster isn’t terrible, but it’s still extremely young, and that youth has been on display in a big way through a large part of this season. Going up against a Utah team that seems to have finally regained its footing isn’t going to help, which is why I like Utah to get a big win in this one. Take Utah and the points, and do so with the utmost confidence. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -7.5 (-110)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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