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.

Another week has passed on the NBA calendar. With November nearing an end, the 2024 NBA Cup has taken center stage for the league. Another wave of results was found during the group stage of the tournament.

As Victor Wembanyam and the Spurs continue to rise up the NBA power rankings, Joel Embiid and the 76ers are on the verge of total collapse.

After a winless week, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves on the outside looking in. The Western Conference once again dominates the rankings, but the Cavs and Celtics have a stranglehold on the top two spots.

As we head into the last week of November and Thanksgiving, the NBA season is nearly 25% complete. This means that all NBA teams have played at least 15 games and these games matter with the In-Season Tournament taking place.