OK, hoops fans. Let’s take stock of the NBA less than two weeks into the season, and then plan accordingly. You know all that stuff you have been reading and hearing about how the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are destined to meet in the NBA Finals?

Believe it if you want, but it sure does not look like things are heading that way at this early point of the season, which means wagering strategies need to be adjusted both for the short term and the long term.

Let’s start with the Lakers, who are a nine-point favorite tonight against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that was supposed to be little more than the butt of Kevin Love jokes. Well, the Cavs are on a five-game road trip (the schedule-making sadists gave them eight of their first 11 games on the road) and have already defeated the Nuggets in Denver and the Clippers in L.A.

Checking their defensive improvement: Their points allowed totals have been, in sequence, 132, 123, 95, 87 and 79. In addition, their three-game winning streak is currently the longest in the Eastern Conference. And the speed game that they play, led by the backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, presents matchup problems for every team they face.

They have one of the best young centers in the league in Jarrett Allen, a serious Rookie of the Year contender in Evan Mobley (currently +725 in the futures market), and offseason veteran additions Ricky Rubio and Lauri Markannen have given them seven double-digit scorers and a better mix of young and old.

Tonight, they go up against a Lakers team with a hurting LeBron James (ankle), Rajon Rondo (ankle) and Wayne Ellington (hamstring) listed as questionable for their home game against the Cavs. The Lakers are coming off a ghastly loss to Oklahoma City and have allowed 119.6 points per game, the most in the 30-team NBA.

And they are nine-point favorites? Makes no sense, but this is only the end of October and many NBA players (especially veterans) are still trying to work their way out of offseason mode. So this is the time to expect the unexpected and to give some props to the younger teams who are fighting for respect against teams with more superstars and bigger fan bases in larger cities. Cleveland getting nine seems like a gift from the gambling gods.

And that is just Friday night, when every other game on the board seems to have a reasonable line with the possible exception of Indiana-Brooklyn. The 2-3 Nets, who have alternated wins and losses, are favored by 8.5 against the Pacers, who are 0-3 on the road but will have a big size advantage against a team that was outscored 15-2 on second-chance points in a 13-point loss to Miami on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the player props there and watch for a too-low projection of rebounds for Myles Turner (it should be at least 6) and Domantas Sabonis (it should be at least 10).

Picking games in late October is not the same as picking games in March and April, when most teams will be playing for something other than lottery position because of the expansion of the playoffs to 20 teams.

The early-season dynamic in the NBA is that the best teams (on paper) are unconcerned with doing anything exceptional unless they come out of the gate with something special, which is what the Utah Jazz are doing with a league-leading point differential of +18.3 and the NBA’s only undefeated record (4-0). They get the Bulls and Bucks this weekend as they begin a stretch of playing 10 of 11 games against East opponents, against whom they went 24-6 last season.

You gotta pile on against the underachievers and hitch your boat to the overachievers at this early point of the season, and please, please, please stay away from the dregs of the league: Orlando, Oklahoma City, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans (until Zion Williamson returns) and San Antonio. Those teams will often be playing teams that are resting regulars. But if you choose to not heed that advice, do yourself a favor and keep an eye on late scratches for their opponents because in those situations you will find those teams capable of covering heavy spreads as underdogs. Yes, every ‘dog has its day. Just ask the Thunder, who beat the Lakers.

The best day-to-day strategy: Look for the teams that have something to prove: Like Phoenix last year, or Miami two years ago.

Memphis fits that bill this season, as does Chicago, New York, Charlotte, Washington and Atlanta.

We have already covered Friday, so on Saturday and Sunday keep an eye out for games that jump off the schedule as wagerable for the above-mentioned reasons. Washington entertains the Celtics on Saturday, and Boston is vastly overrated whereas the Wizards are rejuvenated with Spencer Dinwiddie along with the players they acquired from the Lakers for Russell Westbrook: Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The Knicks will likely be small favorites vs. the Pelicans in New Orleans, and they should be relatively big favorites. Atlanta-Philadelphia, Utah-Chicago and Miami-Memphis should be dogfights, so look for over/unders in those games that seem too high.

On Sunday there are only five games on the schedule, and the crystal ball says the Lakers should be in full panic mode against the Houston Rockets, and Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis should be able to put up extreme monster lines against players who cannot defend them. The Detroit at Brooklyn game will be Blake Griffin’s alumni game, so expect him to be stoked and keep an eye out for whether his player prop numbers seem too low.

By Monday, we should have a much clearer picture of which players are separating themselves from the pack in terms of individual awards (and which players are worthy sleepers) and which teams with something to prove are continuing to defy preseason expectations. We will have a strategy for you then, too, based upon what happens over the next four nights.

There is money to be made out there this weekend, y’all. So wager wisely, and then cash out and pay the rent/mortgage on Monday with house money. Good luck!

BEST BETS

Cavaliers +9 vs Lakers (-110)

Pacers +8.5 vs Nets (-110)