The Boston Celtics won their show-and-prove matchup last week against the previously unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers.

Teams are competing and not blatantly exercising organizational priorities, and in a culture where we’re waiting for the next “trades we want to see” piece to drop, I like that NBA Cup games take place just after the glorified feel-out games that mark the opening weeks of the season and wrap up just before all of those new contracts become tradeable.

The Jazz snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over the Knicks. Lauri Markkenen went off for 34 points. Collin Sexton has also had a positive season. He could be traded to a contender. Meanwhile, Cody Williams has had an inconsistent start to his season.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers own the NBA’s best record (17-1) many feel the defending champion Boston Celtics are still the team to beat. Improving to 15-3 wit