After two seasons of surpassing projected win totals, hopes for the Cleveland Cavaliers are higher than any point since LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
Currently, the Cavaliers’ 2023-24 win total sits at 50.5 at BetMGM Ohio a year after they went 51-31 when the projection was 46.5. As the NBA season gets closer, BetOhio.com utilized historical data from SportsOddsHistory.com to see how the Cavs have done against their preseason win total dating back to 2010-11.
Cavs Season Win Total History
Ohio betting apps list Boston and Milwaukee with the best NBA championship odds at +400, followed by defending champion Denver at +550. Cleveland is +2500.
Cavaliers Are On the Rise
Dating back to 2010-11, the Cavaliers hit the projected win total just four times, but two of those have come in the past two seasons. In 2021-22, the win projection on Ohio sports betting sites was 26.5 and Cleveland won 44 games and made the play-in part of the postseason, but lost both games.
The Cavaliers made a big leap last year to No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, but the young team lost in the first round of the playoffs in five games to the New York Knicks. That jump to 51 victories last year came in guard Donovan Mitchell’s first year in Cleveland after the preseason trade with Utah.
The only other two seasons when the Cavs surpassed the preseason projection came in 2011-12 when they won 21 games when the odds said they’d only win 17.5 and then again in 2015-16. That was James’ second season back in Cleveland, which had 57 wins and the magical NBA Finals comeback that resulted in the NBA championship.
This year’s projection of 50.5 is the highest since the four years James was back in Cleveland from 2014-2018. All of those years’ projections were 53.5 or higher, and Cleveland won at least 50 each year. Now, the high hopes revolve around Mitchell, who averaged a career-high 28.3 points in his first year in Cleveland. The team’s big three also includes point guard Darius Garland, who averaged 21.6 points and 7.8 assists last year, and center Evan Mobley averaged 16.2 points and nine rebounds in his second season out of Southern California.
They’ll face a tough run in the Eastern Conference this season, as Milwaukee has added Damian Lillard to MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and then the Celtics got Jrue Holiday for their remade lineup. You can use Ohio sportsbook promos to get Cleveland at +250 odds to win the Central Division. Milwaukee is the favorite at -350.
