Knicks 2023-24 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions | News, Scores, Highlig

The New York Knicks won a playoff series for the first time in a decade.

Now they are looking to take the next step.

Expectations will be high in New York for the 2023-24 campaign with the core that led it to the second round last season back in place. Jalen Brunson is the point guard who runs the show, Julius Randle is the All-NBA player who can be the go-to option, and RJ Barrett stands out among a list of solid secondary options.

Throw in the addition of Donte DiVincenzo this offseason to add some more Villanova ties to a roster that already had Brunson and Josh Hart, and there is plenty of reason for optimism.

And now they know the slate they will face with those higher expectations after Thursday's schedule release.

2023-24 Knicks Schedule Details

Season Opener: vs. Boston Celtics, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: +5500 (bet $100 to win $5,550), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

Woke up winning and grinning. Schedule is here! 🗓️ <a href="https://t.co/msPxygxvV0">https://t.co/msPxygxvV0</a> <a href="https://t.co/zi6CfVIg8K">pic.twitter.com/zi6CfVIg8K</a>

Top Matchups

Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA fans surely expected a thrilling first-round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Knicks last season.

After all, not much separated the fourth-seeded Cavaliers from fifth-seeded New York on paper other than perhaps the additional star power that was on Cleveland's side. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is a formidable foursome and figured to give New York trouble.

So much for that.

The Knicks cruised in five games and exploited Cleveland's two-big lineups throughout the series. Their defense on Mitchell helped swing games in crunch time, and it was a postseason clinic that had not been seen in New York for some time.

The Cavaliers will surely have revenge on their mind when they face each other this season, but the stakes go beyond that. Cleveland and New York could be in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference playoff picture behind the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

That means these head-to-head contests are important for playoff positioning and as measuring-stick contests as the Knicks attempt to be a factor in the Eastern Conference postseason picture once again.

Boston Celtics

It is appointment viewing whenever teams from rival sports cities in New York and Boston square off, and this season will be no different for the Knicks and the Celtics.

But there is more to these games from New York's perspective.

Boston is one of the gold standards in the Eastern Conference and the NBA as a whole with trips to the conference finals in five of the last seven years. Figuring out a way to defeat the Celtics would go a long way toward the Knicks proving themselves as actual contenders after winning a playoff series last season.

There is also the Kristaps Porziņģis angle.

Boston acquired the big man this offseason, but he started his career as the No. 4 overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft. He was a one-time All-Star during his tenure with the Knicks before they traded him during the 2018-19 season but never fully lived up to expectations as a solid but unspectacular player.

Perhaps he will be even further motivated against his former team in a rivalry matchup between two playoff contenders, adding another layer of intrigue to these games.

Season Forecast

The expectation here is this season unfolds in a similar fashion as last one for New York.

DiVincenzo is a solid addition but not the type who is going to single-handedly alter the trajectory of an entire campaign. The core is also the same with Brunson, Randle and Barrett, although the continuity in place could help it take another step.

Yet it is unrealistic to expect anything better from Randle than his effort last season when he was an All-NBA Third Team selection who averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 34.3 from deep. If he takes even a slight step back in 2023-24, it could mean the difference between a seed line or two in the playoffs.

Still, there are enough solid pieces in place to help make up for any dropoff in production from Randle, and it's not as if he is going to take a significant step back either considering he is a two-time All-Star who has averaged better than 20 points a night in four of the last five seasons.

Brunson's presence is also a major reason he had a career season in 2022-23 because the veteran point guard put him in position to score so often.

New York doesn't have the same type of elite talent as the Celtics, Heat or Bucks, but they are deeper with more quality pieces than most of the other teams in the Eastern Conference.

Look for a similar performance to last season's 47-35 mark that earned them the No. 5 seed.

Record Prediction: 46-36

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