Cavaliers 2023-24 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

The Cleveland Cavaliers pushed their chips to the center of the table last offseason to trade for Donovan Mitchell and it paid off.

At least of the regular season.

Cleveland made its first playoff appearance without LeBron James on the roster since 1998, as Darius Garland continued his star turn and Mitchell made his first All-NBA team. The Cavs closed with a strong 51-31 record and held homecourt advantage in their first-round series against the New York Knicks.

Ultimately, it didn't matter much. The Knicks made light work of the Cavs in a five-game beatdown and sent Cleveland's front office back to the drawing board to fortify the roster.

How will these Cavs fare in their second season together? Let's take a look at their 2023-24 schedule and map things out.

2023-24 Cavaliers Schedule Details

Season Opener: at Brooklyn Nets (Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Championship Odds: +20000 (FanDuel Sportsbook)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

New York Knicks

As my fellow kids would say, the Cavs will be motivated to get their lick back.

In what was supposed to be one of the most competitive series of the first round, the Knicks mopped the floor with Cleveland. New York locked in defensively and held the Cavs under 100 points in four of the five games, a recipe for disaster for an offense-first Cleveland unit.

The Knicks were able to throttle the Cavs' offensive system thanks in large part to their ability to pack the floor. Cleveland's inability to make New York respect the three ball allowed Tom Thibodeau to devise a gameplan aimed at making inside shots as difficult as possible.

If you're wondering why Max Strus and Georges Niang are now wearing Cavs uniforms, look no further than their anemic shooting performance in Round 1.

Mitchell's games against the Knicks are always worth monitoring as well in the aftermath of New York failing to meet Utah's demands in trade talks a year ago and allowing the Cavs to swoop in.

Philadelphia 76ers

If the Cavs hope to get themselves in the Eastern Conference conversation, the most vulnerable team from last year's top three seeds resides in Philadelphia.

James Harden is once again miserable and looking for a trade. Joel Embiid is openly talking about potentially needing to be elsewhere to win a championship. Tobias Harris is still making like $40 million to average 14 points a game.

What we're saying is things are not going particularly great.

The Sixers are still more talented on paper than Cleveland and have all the makings of a title contender if they could get their act together. That said, the lack of organizational cohesion makes Philly the perfect litmus test.

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Season Forecast

The Cavs are essentially the same team as they were last season, plus Strus and Niang. Strus and Niang add some floor spacing to the rotation, but they're role players—not the type of talent who can shift the outlook on a team.

Barring a major Mitchell injury, Cleveland will be safely in the Eastern Conference playoff picture while not posing a serious threat to the upper echelon. The Cavs are a 4-6 seed with little deviation, unless Garland or Mobley take a major leap into true superstardom.

Mobley's two-way ascent may hold the key to the Cavs unlocking a new stratosphere for their performance. If Mobley can establish himself as a clear 20-point scorer next to Mitchell and Garland, the Cavs have a quality and diverse Big Three who mesh together well.

As it stands, this feels like a pretty good team that will have a pretty good season.

Record Prediction: 47-35