Five Key Matchups On Cavs’ 2023-24 Schedule

The newly released schedule for the 2023-24 season reveals that the Cavaliers will make 17 nationally televised appearances. Specifically, the Cavs will play six games on ESPN, three on TNT, and eight on NBA TV.

Important to note, this year will be a new format, as it will include a first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament within the 82 regular-season game schedule (see Sam Amico’s article: NBA In-Season Tournament Schedule for All 30 Teams).

Hoping to build off last year’s 51-31 record, the Cavs look to continue their success in what appears to be a highly competitive Eastern Conference. With this in mind, the Cavs’ 2023-24 NBA Championship betting odds are currently at +2000, making them the fifth-favorite team to come out of the East.

The new season will get underway on October 25, when the Cavs face the Nets at the Barclays Center. Then, coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his team will face the Thunder for their home-opener on October 27.

Here are five other must-see matchups that you will need to mark your calendar for this season:

October 31 vs. Knicks (TNT) / November 1 @ Knicks 

Being six months removed from their last meeting, the Cavs will get a shot at revenge on the team that cut their season short and sent them home. The two teams will play a back-to-back with the Cavs hosting the Knicks on Halloween, and then the next day the teams travel to New York to play at Madison Square Garden. Last season (regular season/playoffs), the two teams faced off nine times, but the Cavs only won twice. With both teams’ rosters very much intact from a season ago, this matchup with the Knicks will be a good eye test to see how much improvement Cleveland made from last year. Moreover, the results may give a good indication of what to expect from the Wine and Gold for the rest of the season.

November 5 vs. Warriors / November 11 @ Warriors (NBATV)  

This is a rematch of the 2015-2018 NBA Finals; not long ago this was one of the biggest rivalries the league had seen. However, this could just be reminiscing about old times, as not one player from the Cavs’ championship team is still on the roster. On the other hand, the Warriors’ big-3 core is still together, and this matchup will feature an early look at the Warriors’ newest addition, 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul. Ultimately, the Cavs are just hoping to get a win in one of these two games in November, to break their current 16-game losing streak to the Warriors.

November 21 @ 76ers (TNT) (In-Season Tournament)

The schedule makers seem to have liked this matchup between Cleveland and Philadelphia, as the teams will duel it out three times on national TV this season (2/23 @ Philly ESPN, 3/29 vs. 76ers NBA TV). Now, especially considering the offseason tension between former MVP James Harden and the organization’s front office, this intriguing matchup could turn out to be disappointing if the superstar is not playing. Fans and broadcasting companies alike are hoping Harden, as well as last year’s MVP Joel Embiid will be in uniform. With attention to this, we will keep a closer look at the drama as the season approaches. To mention, these two teams faced off three times last season, with the Cavs going 1-2.

November 25 vs. Lakers

A King James homecoming to The Land always gets the fans to tune in, as the nostalgia sets in across a city and to a people who were all witnesses at one point in time. It should be pointed out, LeBron James has a 17-3 record against his old team, with two of those losses coming last season. In 20 games vs. the Cavaliers, LeBron has a career average of 29.0 points (55% FG), 7.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists. The two teams will also face off on April 6 in Los Angeles at Crypto.Com Arena.

January 11 @ Paris vs. Nets (TNT) 

This game will be played in Paris, France at Accor Arena and will tip off at 2 pm ET on TNT. Namely, this will be the 3rd international game in franchise history for the Cavs, with the previous overseas games being 2007 in China and 2015 in Brazil (during the preseason). Players will probably be jet-lagged, but the change of scenery could add more international interest to the clubs. To note, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert will have another chance to play against their old team, as last season the Cavs went 2-1 vs. the Nets. 

Other notable matchups to keep an eye out for include: November 19 vs. defending NBA champs Denver Nuggets, November 22 vs. Eastern Conference champs Heat, December 12+14 @ Celtics (NBA TV), January 17 vs.  Bucks (ESPN), and April 3 @ Suns (ESPN).