Four games into November, the Dallas Mavericks sit at 4-3, a record that looks modest until you check the names attached to each result. Yahoo Sports reported that through the first two weeks of the 2026-27 NBA season, Dallas has already toppled the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets, with its only defeats coming against the San Antonio Spurs, the Rockets and the Sacramento Kings. The loss to Sacramento is the only bad defeat on the record, and it happened in a game where Kyrie Irving did not play—a fact showing how valuable the guard is to the backcourt when paired with Cooper Flagg.
The early-season landscape has reshuffled power rankings across both the Eastern and Western Conferences, and while national headlines fixate on star-studded duos and slow starts elsewhere, three clubs are quietly outperforming the attention they receive. The Mavericks headline that list, joined by the Miami Heat and the New Orleans Pelicans, all of whom carry records or schedule contexts that suggest the national conversation is sleeping on their true upside. Most teams have played seven or eight games at this point, leaving plenty of unknowns, but the combination of records, attention levels and perceived ceilings makes these three the most underrated squads so far.
Dallas Has Beaten Quality Opponents Without Irving Missing Games
The Mavericks’ 4-3 start looks more impressive when you consider that both non-Kings losses came against Western Conference playoff-caliber sides in the Spurs and Rockets, and Dallas avenged the Rockets defeat in a separate meeting earlier in the month. The win column includes quality victories over the defending champion Thunder, the Pacers and the Heat, a slate that suggests this group is already playoff-tested despite the small sample size. The one outlier, the loss to Sacramento, came without Irving in the lineup, which only reinforces the argument that keeping him paired with Flagg is the correct front-office decision rather than exploring the trade market that once surrounded the guard’s name.
At 4-3, Dallas is above .500 against what the source material describes as a difficult opening schedule, and the group has not reached its ceiling. Keeping Irving in the backcourt alongside Cooper Flagg looks like a strong decision based on how the Mavericks have played. The article states that Dallas could surprise a lot of people this season.
Miami’s 2-5 Start Masks a Roster Built Around Giannis and Bam
The Miami Heat present the most perplexing case of the three. A 2-5 record usually signals dysfunction, but when your roster features Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, the label of underrated applies immediately. After dropping four straight games to open the new season, Miami has responded with victories over the Atlanta Hawks and the Pacers, signaling a potential tide-turning shift from that slow start. The 21-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers felt like a collective eye-roll for anyone waiting to see the Heat break through, yet head coach Erik Spoelstra will find the right offensive game plan to capitalize on this group’s upside.
Players like Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson have also struggled to find their roles in the early going, and the learning curve between Antetokounmpo and Adebayo—both high-usage offensive players—requires time to mesh. But if anyone can help this team work through the early-season funk, it is Spoelstra, and the term underrated will not be connected to Miami again.
New Orleans Is Playing Like a Contender Despite the 3-4 Mark
The New Orleans Pelicans round out the trio at 3-4, a record that looks pedestrian until you examine the underlying numbers. Along with the defending champion New York Knicks, the Pelicans are one of only two sub-.500 teams carrying a positive point differential through the first two weeks of the season. The start was brutal—four straight losses, including a three-point defeat to the Pacers and a one-point road loss to the Utah Jazz, plus back-to-back setbacks to the Denver Nuggets. But since that 0-4 beginning, New Orleans has rattled off three consecutive victories, two by double digits, and the last handed the Memphis Grizzlies their first loss of the season.
Zion Williamson is producing on both ends of the floor, and Jeremiah Fears has emerged as a do-it-all playmaker, giving the Pelicans a backcourt engine that suggests they can compete with anyone in the league when healthy. The upside of this group is finally showing, and if their health continues to work in their favor, the Pelicans may not remain underrated for much longer.
For Dallas, the 4-3 record leaves the Mavericks feeling overlooked and underrated, and this group has not reached its ceiling.
What remains unknown is how long the Pelicans can sustain this level of health and how quickly the Heat’s new pieces fully mesh on offense.
Disclaimer: The analytical insights and data provided in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or sports betting recommendations.
Related reading
Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Explains Viral Yankees Comments and Call to Brian Cashman
Pat Murphy picked up the phone and called Brian Cashman the morning after his profane on-field remark about...
Fangio: Giants’ J.J. McCarthy trade a ‘steal’ for Vikings
For a fifth-round pick. That's what the Minnesota Vikings accepted in late September when they sent J.J. McCarthy...
Brandon Aiyuk files reinstatement from 49ers’ reserve list ahead of trade deadline
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has filed for reinstatement from the team's reserve/left squad list, NBC...
Emery’s demands clash with United’s structure as Carrick’s fate hinges on Villa match, per report
Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Roma on Tuesday night ended a shambolic nine-game winless run, but TEAMtalk reported...