Game Status Workflow

Intro

An NBA game travels through many statuses in its lifecycle. Leverage the game status to inform on the appropriate endpoint to retrieve.

Game status is available in every Schedule and Game endpoint. To retrieve a game's initial status and schedule information it would be most appropriate to request the Schedule or Daily Schedule endpoints.

<game id="a06b10fa-fd80-4058-9e0a-d3d1d69cb6f1" status="scheduled" coverage="full" scheduled="2024-10-22T23:30:00Z"
      track_on_court="true" sr_id="sr:match:52631111" reference="0022400061"
      home_team="583eccfa-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c" away_team="583ec70e-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c">

  {
  "games": [
    {
      "id": "a06b10fa-fd80-4058-9e0a-d3d1d69cb6f1",
      "status": "scheduled",
      "coverage": "full",
      "scheduled": "2024-10-22T23:30:00Z",
      "track_on_court": true,
      "sr_id": "sr:match:52631111",
      "reference": "0022400061",
      "time_zones": {
        "venue": "US/Eastern",
        "home": "US/Eastern",
        "away": "US/Eastern"
      },
      "venue": {
        "id": "7d69b080-91ca-53c9-9302-45c1a72c5549",
        "name": "TD Garden",
        "capacity": 18624,
        "address": "100 Legends Way",
        "city": "Boston",
        "state": "MA",
        "zip": "02114",
        "country": "USA",
        "sr_id": "sr:venue:5940",
        "location": {
          "lat": "42.366303",
          "lng": "-71.062228"
        }
      },
      "broadcasts": [
        {
          "network": "TNT",
          "type": "TV",
          "locale": "National",
          "channel": "245"
        }
      ],
      "home": {
        "name": "Boston Celtics",
        "alias": "BOS",
        "id": "583eccfa-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
        "sr_id": "sr:team:3422",
        "reference": "1610612738"
      },
      "away": {
        "name": "New York Knicks",
        "alias": "NYK",
        "id": "583ec70e-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
        "sr_id": "sr:team:3421",
        "reference": "1610612752"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Coverage Levels

We provide two different levels of detail to ensure maximum coverage. We combine coverage levels with the correct feeds to ensure you are getting the most comprehensive data offering in the most efficient manner possible. Full coverage is available for all regular and postseason games. Most preseason games will also have full coverage, though in some rare cases extended boxscore may be used.

Full – We provide live play-by-play coverage for the entire game. We provide updated scores and time remaining as well as team- and player-level data in near real time.

Extended Boxscore – We provide scores, time remaining, and team leaders (assists, points, and rebounds), in a timely manner, as the game progresses. We provide team- and player-level data for the game within 30 minutes of the official results being posted.

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Preseason Coverage Note:

Preseason coverage of NBA games may vary. Some games may be extended boxscore coverage due to on-venue data-entry being unavailable.

API data latency will vary compared to regular season games, due to collection and processing differences. Preseason games serve as a testing ground, often resulting in changes and adjustments to data collection methods. As a result, data updates may not be as timely or consistent as the regular season.

Game Status Definitions

Below are each of the valid game statuses you can expect to see in the NBA API. Reference these definitions for precise detail on what each game state signifies.

• scheduled - The game is scheduled to occur.
• created – The game has been created and we have begun logging information.
• inprogress – The game is in progress.
• halftime - The game is currently at halftime.
• complete – The game is over, but stat validation is not complete.
• closed – The game is over and the stats have been validated.
• cancelled – The game has been cancelled. No makeup game will be played as a result.
• delayed – The start of the game is currently delayed or the game has gone from in progress to delayed for some reason.
• postponed – The game has been postponed, to be made up at another day and time. Once the makeup game is announced, a new game and ID will be created and scheduled on the announced makeup date.
• time-tbd – The game has been scheduled, but a time has yet to be announced.
• if-necessary – The game will be scheduled if it is required.
• unnecessary – The series game was scheduled to occur, but will not take place due to one team clinching the series early.

Game Workflows

See the below diagrams for common game status flows, with context around each update.

Standard Game

Below is the flow for a typical NBA game from scheduled to closed.

Time-TBD

Below is the flow of a time-tbd game. Once this game reaches scheduled status it follows the Standard Game flow.

Postponed

Below is the flow of a postponed game.

Once a new game is created in scheduled status, it follows the Standard Game flow.

Suspended

Below is the flow of a suspended game.

Once a suspended game moves back to inprogress it follows the Standard Game flow.

Cancelled

Below is the flow of a cancelled game.

A cancelled game will remain in cancelled status. See game 5126d64c-1865-4ef6-87ce-e64ec9581e1b as an example.

Game State Samples

Click the links below for sample data of Game feeds by game state.

• scheduled
• created
• inprogress
• closed

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Simulations

We would also suggest using our Simulations to view each of these game states and test your integration.

Weekly Data Entry

This section provides important NBA data update timings for schedules, statistics, rankings, depth charts, and more.

Click on the days of the week below to view the data entry workflow for each day.