14. Los Angeles Clippers (24-18)

I fear they are at high risk to slip out of the West’s top eight, but the Clippers would certainly slot in right at the top of the play-hard rankings if there were such an industry. The feisty likes of Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley, flanking a better-than-ever Tobias Harris, continue to make the Clippers more bizarrely competitive than anyone imagined heading into a summer in which they appear well positioned to make the loudest free-agent noise in franchise history.

15. Sacramento Kings (22-21)

A Bogdan Bogdanovic buzzer-beater to topple the Lakers on Dec. 27 hiked the fast-paced Kings’ record to 19-16 and seemed to announce the blossoming tandem of De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield as certifiable playoff material after a league-high 12 consecutive seasons of missing out. Sacramento then unraveled, enduring a 1-5 funk which included an embarrassing fall-from-ahead loss at Phoenix when the Suns were without Devin Booker. You cannot afford funks in the West.

16. Miami Heat (21-20)

Little emanating from South Beach makes sense, whether it is Miami’s ability to play .500 basketball despite missing out on Butler via trade and having Goran Dragic healthy for just 14 games — or the fact this team is 0-3 against Atlanta. It is unclear how long it will take Miami to get back into the trade mix for a player of Butler’s caliber, but the retiring Dwyane Wade should have an opportunity to bid the game farewell from the playoff stage.

17. Brooklyn Nets (21-23)

The drop-off from the East’s top five to teams trying to secure the last three playoff stops is as steep as pessimists feared. Not that the Nets intend to apologize after the barren half-decade they endured in the wake of their disastrous 2014 trade with Boston. While the Knicks tank their way to a shot at Zion Williamson, New Yorkers may get postseason games after all, thanks to success stories like Spencer Dinwiddie, D’Angelo Russell, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen.

18. New Orleans Pelicans (20-23)

It is a misnomer to say Anthony Davis has no help; Jrue Holiday, Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle are all accomplished players. The Pelicans’ problems have been health (most notably injuries for Mirotic and the point guard Elfrid Payton) and difficulties in playing Davis, Mirotic and Randle together even when they are all available. New Orleans, as a result, is facing the biggest possible issue: Scenarios that force them to trade The Brow grow more plausible by the day.

19. Washington Wizards (18-25)

Indiana has crashed the East’s upper crust to give the conference its own Fab Five, but we were not exaggerating the drop-off to the chasing pack. Look no further than the nation’s capital for proof, with the Wizards still firmly in the playoff chase despite losing John Wall to season-ending heel surgery. Recent wins over Oklahoma City, Philadelphia and Milwaukee should tell you that the Wiz are not heeding some fans’ calls to tank.

20. Dallas Mavericks (20-22)

Luka Doncic has a real shot to become the first rookie to achieve All-Star status since Blake Griffin in 2011, which already makes this a more successful season in Dallas than many forecast. But the huge disparity between the Mavericks’ play at home (16-4) and on the road (4-18), Dirk Nowitzki’s health woes in what they hoped would be a heartwarming final season and J.J. Barea’s season-ending Achilles tear, have combined to snuff out some of the joy.