It's mid-November and the last time the Cleveland Cavaliers lost a game was May 15, to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.
The NBA season started three weeks ago and the Cavs are off to an improbable 13-0 start. They're the sixth team in NBA history to win 13 straight to open a season. Cleveland fired J.B. Bickerstaff after that second-round exit to Boston, and hired Kenny Atkinson, who's emphasized ball movement and playing with pace. The Cavs' balanced, unselfish offense has the league's best offensive rating.
Cleveland is one of two top-10 offenses without a top-20 scorer, but it has six players averaging double figures. After reported tension between Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland last offseason, the backcourt duo is working brilliantly together, taking turns scoring and often deferring to each other.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are a terrorizing frontcourt duo as versatile defensive bigs who protect the rim effectively. Most teams have one rim-protector in their starting units, but two in the same lineup shrinks the floor for opposing offenses, which struggle to consistently score against the Cavs' sixth-best defense.
The beauty of the Cavs' roster is they can stagger guard and big pairings to ensure a reliable creator and a highly productive center are always paired. Mitchell and Mobley have played together more than any other two-man combo on the Cavs, outscoring opponents by 13.9 points per 100 possessions when they share the floor. Garland and Allen have the second-most minutes among two-man lineups, outscoring opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions. Garland and Mobley have an 11.5 net rating together while Mitchell and Allen have a 6.6 net rating. You get the point.
Mobley's offensive leap is a key catalyst sparking the Cavs' offensive resurgence from bottom half to league best. Atkinson gives Mobley more opportunities with the ball and encourages aggression. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate has the highest usage rate of his career and is averaging 7.8 drives per game, up from 4.7. He's also been featured as the pick-and-roll ball-handler running inverted pick-and-rolls after rarely assuming that role last season. He's getting to the free-throw line more and converting from the stripe at a higher clip.
While his three is still a work in progress - he's hitting 33% of his 3-pointers - his willingness to shoot expands the Cavs' offense as spacing concerns with Mobley and Allen linger. He attempted just seven threes through the first 13 games last season and has shot 21 through the same period this campaign. Mobley's defensive prowess is well-documented - he's the second favorite behind Victor Wembanyama to win Defensive Player of the Year - but he's the key who could unlock the Cavs' championship chest.
The Cavs have one of the NBA's deepest benches beyond their core four, averaging the league's fifth-most bench points. That's without Max Strus, Cleveland's sixth-leading scorer from last season who's out due to injury and still a few weeks away from returning.
So, will the Cavs ever lose? Well, obviously (we think). And here's when that first loss may occur according to theScore Bet and ESPN Bet:
Cavs next loss odds
| Opponent (date) | Odds |
|---|---|
| vs. Bulls (Nov. 15) | +380 |
| vs. Hornets (Nov. 17) | +500 |
| @ Celtics (Nov. 19) | -110 |
| vs. Pelicans (Nov. 20) | +2500 |
| vs. Raptors (Nov. 24) | +3300 |
| vs. Hawks (Nov. 27) | +1400 |
| @ Hawks (Nov. 29) | +1600 |
| Game 21 or later | +1000 |
The Cavs flirted with a loss to bad teams in recent games, including escaping Philadelphia - 2-9 and without three All-Stars - with a win Wednesday.
Cleveland's next two games are against below-.500 teams (in fairness, only three teams in the East are above .500), so it should win as favorites. The Cavs are 10.5-point favorites against the Bulls (5-7) on Friday. If they reach 15-0, they tie the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols for the second-best start in NBA/BAA history. The 2015-16 Warriors, who won the most games in league history, started 24-0, and that seems unattainable.
The Cavs' most challenging upcoming matchup is an NBA Cup showdown against the Celtics on Tuesday; oddsmakers project that'll be their first loss. If they somehow escape Boston with a win as underdogs, the Cavs have a fairly easy stretch that could extend their win streak beyond 20. Granted, the better team doesn't always win in the NBA throughout an 82-game season.
Once an afterthought to contend for the East crown alongside the Celtics, Knicks, and Sixers, the Cavs are +600 to win the East, down from +2500 when the market opened. They also moved from +4000 to win the NBA Finals to +1700. The NBA season is only 15% complete, but those odds will shrink if Cleveland keeps winning.
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.