Lakers 2023-24 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
Stability is the name of the game for the Los Angeles Lakers at this point, and that is surely a welcome development for the marquee franchise.
Last season was a roller coaster that began with a 2-10 start and resulted in realistic championship hopes until the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Purple and Gold in the Western Conference Finals.
That turnaround included a major roster shake-up with the in-season departures of Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley and the additions of players such as Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, among others.
Los Angeles continued that momentum into the offseason by keeping Austin Reaves, Russell and Hachimura and adding formidable role players in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince and Jaxson Hayes, among others.
Throw in LeBron James ending any retirement speculation at the ESPYs, and this is a much more stable roster with star power, established role players and a head coach in Darvin Ham who now has a season of experience under his belt.
That stability means championship expectations, and here is a look at the schedule the Lakers will have to navigate as they attempt to deliver on those hopes.
2023-24 Lakers Schedule Details
Season Opener: at Denver Nuggets, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET
Championship Odds: +1500 (bet $100 to win $1,500), per FanDuel
Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.
Top Matchups
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets and Lakers may be the NBA's newest rivalry.
They were nowhere near the same stratosphere heading into last season considering Los Angeles had 17 championships to Denver's zero, but the Nuggets changed that narrative by sweeping the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals on their way to the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
There has been plenty of trash talk in the aftermath, with Denver head coach Michael Malone quipping at the attention the Lakers received in defeat and about the idea of James possibly retiring. Nuggets broadcaster Vic Lombardi even called Malone the "Lakers' daddy" during the team's championship celebration, which generated a response from Ham.
Sweeping the Western Conference Finals and winning the championship gives Denver the right to talk trash, but don't be surprised if Los Angeles is keeping the receipts.
James and Co. will be plenty motivated to make up for that playoff loss, making these games appointment viewing in the regular season. It's not as if the Lakers didn't have a chance either, as three of the four games in the playoff series were decided by single digits in the final minutes.
Nikola Jokić, James, Anthony Davis and Jamal Murray on the court together with seeding in the Western Conference at stake amid the backdrop of playoff-based trash talk?
Sign us up.
Phoenix Suns
The Western Conference is going to be loaded this season, even if everyone is chasing the champion Nuggets.
That makes the head-to-head games against fellow contenders all the more important, and there aren't many teams Los Angeles will face in such games that can match the star power of the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix added Bradley Beal to a starting lineup that already features an all-time great in Kevin Durant, one of the league's best in Devin Booker and a formidable center in Deandre Ayton. This group will surely score 120-plus points on plenty of nights, which will put stress on opposing offenses throughout the season as they attempt to keep pace.
James and Durant matched up in multiple NBA Finals in the past, although the latter's Golden State Warriors were unquestionably deeper and more talented than the King's Cleveland Cavaliers.
A playoff series between their Lakers and Suns wouldn't feel like such an inevitable conclusion, adding some of the drama that was missing the last time the two legends squared off with postseason pressure.
It could come down to home-court advantage in a Game 7, so every head-to-head clash in the regular season may go a long way toward determining an ultimate playoff result.
Season Forecast
There are multiple ways to look at the Lakers this season.
The positive angle would say this team was significantly better after last season's roster moves, caught fire on the way to the Western Conference Finals and is coming off an excellent offseason that saw it add talent while maintaining continuity.
It creates a mindset that anything less than at least another conference finals appearance would be a major disappointment.
Yet the other way to look at the Purple and Gold is to say this is a team that needed to overcome a double-digit deficit against the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves just to get out of the play-in tournament. They also benefited from facing a shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies squad in the first round and could have lost to the Golden State Warriors in the second round if Lonnie Walker IV didn't have the fourth quarter of his life in Game 4.
Throw in concerns about James' age after he turns 39 in December and Davis' durability, and perhaps one or two of those things go a different way in 2023-24. It also doesn't help that the Western Conference is so loaded with teams that will surely jump at the chance to oust the mighty Lakers.
The thought here is Los Angeles' 2023-24 season unfolds in the glass half-full manner.
James' age is brought up every season, and he somehow manages to still be excellent. Having so many role players and solid depth also means Davis won't have to play as many minutes with an eye on the playoffs.
Reaves should be even better, Ham figures to be more comfortable in the head coaching role and motivation will not be a question as the team looks to get some revenge on the Nuggets.
Look for Los Angeles to have an excellent campaign and settle in as the No. 2 or 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Record Prediction: 50-32
