Standings and Rankings

Prerequisite - Accessing Available Seasons

To avoid confusion and ensure you're accessing available data, refer to our Seasons feed. This resource lists all the seasons for which we have data.

For example: To ensure data availability for future seasons, such as a schedule in advance of when a season begins, first check the Seasons feed to verify that data for that specific season is already provided.

Starting with this feed can prevent unnecessary errors and streamline your data retrieval process.

📆
Starting Year for Each Season
It's important to note that the season parameter uses the starting year of the season; for example, to retrieve data for the 2024-25 NBA season, you would use 2024 as the value for the season parameter.

Difference Between Standings and Rankings

In the NBA, standings and rankings are related but distinct concepts:

Standings provide detailed team records that you can display in whichever format you prefer. Each team's entry also includes its official conference and division rank and playoff-clinching status (the rank node), alongside a calculated standings rank.
Rankings are used to determine teams’ rank in divisions, conferences, and playoff-clinching status. This endpoint is updated manually at the end of each night.

How to Access Standings

You can access standings using the Standings feed. This endpoint provides detailed team records across various views including, overall, conference, and division information.

Recommended Call Frequency:

Standings are updated on a two-minute timer after each game is moved to complete status.
Pull every hour or less, depending on your use case.
Pull 2-5 mins after a game is moved to 'complete' to receive the quickest updates.

Analyzing Standings Data

{
  "id": "583ecf50-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
  "name": "Mavericks",
  "market": "Dallas",
  "wins": 50,
  "losses": 32,
  "win_pct": 0.61,
  "points_for": 117.85,
  "points_against": 115.65,
  "point_diff": 2.21,
  "sr_id": "sr:team:3411",
  "reference": "1610612742",
  "games_behind": {
    "league": 14,
    "conference": 7,
    "division": 0
  },
  "streak": {
    "kind": "loss",
    "length": 2
  },
  "calc_rank": {
    "div_rank": 1,
    "conf_rank": 5
  },
  "records": [
    {
      "record_type": "atlantic",
      "wins": 6,
      "losses": 4,
      "win_pct": 0.6
    },
    {
      "record_type": "below_500",
      "wins": 27,
      "losses": 8,
      "win_pct": 0.771
    },
    {
      "record_type": "central",
      "wins": 3,
      "losses": 7,
      "win_pct": 0.3
    },
    {
      "record_type": "conference",
      "wins": 31,
      "losses": 21,
      "win_pct": 0.596
    },
    {
      "record_type": "division",
      "wins": 11,
      "losses": 5,
      "win_pct": 0.688
    },
    {
      "record_type": "equal_rebounds",
      "wins": 1,
      "losses": 1,
      "win_pct": 0.5
    },
    {
      "record_type": "equal_turnovers",
      "wins": 3,
      "losses": 2,
      "win_pct": 0.6
    },
    {
      "record_type": "fewer_turnovers",
      "wins": 30,
      "losses": 15,
      "win_pct": 0.667
    },
    {
      "record_type": "home",
      "wins": 25,
      "losses": 16,
      "win_pct": 0.61
    },
    {
      "record_type": "last_10",
      "wins": 7,
      "losses": 3,
      "win_pct": 0.7
    },
    {
      "record_type": "last_10_home",
      "wins": 7,
      "losses": 3,
      "win_pct": 0.7
    },
    {
      "record_type": "last_10_road",
      "wins": 7,
      "losses": 3,
      "win_pct": 0.7
    },
    {
      "record_type": "leads_field_goal_pct",
      "wins": 37,
      "losses": 3,
      "win_pct": 0.925
    },
    {
      "record_type": "leads_rebounds",
      "wins": 22,
      "losses": 8,
      "win_pct": 0.733
    },
    {
      "record_type": "neutral",
      "wins": 0,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 0
    },
    {
      "record_type": "northwest",
      "wins": 10,
      "losses": 9,
      "win_pct": 0.526
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_fewer_turnovers",
      "wins": 17,
      "losses": 15,
      "win_pct": 0.531
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_leads_field_goal_pct",
      "wins": 13,
      "losses": 29,
      "win_pct": 0.31
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_leads_rebounds",
      "wins": 27,
      "losses": 23,
      "win_pct": 0.54
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_scores_100_or_more",
      "wins": 41,
      "losses": 32,
      "win_pct": 0.562
    },
    {
      "record_type": "overtime",
      "wins": 1,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 1
    },
    {
      "record_type": "over_500",
      "wins": 23,
      "losses": 24,
      "win_pct": 0.489
    },
    {
      "record_type": "pacific",
      "wins": 10,
      "losses": 7,
      "win_pct": 0.588
    },
    {
      "record_type": "road",
      "wins": 25,
      "losses": 16,
      "win_pct": 0.61
    },
    {
      "record_type": "scores_100_or_more",
      "wins": 50,
      "losses": 25,
      "win_pct": 0.667
    },
    {
      "record_type": "southeast",
      "wins": 10,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 1
    },
    {
      "record_type": "southwest",
      "wins": 11,
      "losses": 5,
      "win_pct": 0.688
    },
    {
      "record_type": "ten_points",
      "wins": 31,
      "losses": 21,
      "win_pct": 0.596
    },
    {
      "record_type": "three_points",
      "wins": 5,
      "losses": 2,
      "win_pct": 0.714
    }
  ]
}

Here's a breakdown of key standings components for the Dallas Mavericks, helping to understand how they perform across different contexts and how they rank within the league:

Team Data
- Each team has an ID, name, market, and key statistics:
  - Record (Wins, Losses): The Dallas Mavericks have 50 wins and 32 losses, showing their overall performance for the season.
  - Winning Percentage (win_pct): The Mavericks have a win percentage of 0.61 (61%), critical for ranking within the standings.
  - Points For and Against: The Mavericks score an average of 117.85 points per game while allowing 115.65 points, leading to a point differential of +2.21. This is useful for gauging offensive and defensive effectiveness.
  - Games Behind: The Mavericks are 7 games behind in the conference and 0 games behind in their division, meaning they lead their division but trail in the broader conference.
  - Streaks: The Mavericks are currently on a 2-game losing streak, indicating recent performance struggles.
  - Rank: They are ranked 1st in their division and 5th in the Western Conference, reflecting their relative performance among other teams.
Categories: The record_type in the Mavericks’ records breaks down performance into different game contexts. Each category represents a specific setting or opponent grouping.
- Division
  - Performance against teams in their division (Southwest): The Mavericks have 11 wins and 5 losses against division opponents, which is crucial for division rankings and playoff seeding.
- Conference
  - Performance against all teams in the Western Conference: With 31 wins and 21 losses, this impacts their conference standing and playoff positioning.
- Home and Road
  - Home: The Mavericks have a 25-16 record at home, showing their performance in Dallas.
  - Road: Their road record is also 25-16, reflecting consistent performance away from home.
- Other Specifics
  - Win percentage (win_pct) within these categories provides a snapshot of their effectiveness in different scenarios, like against under .500 teams (0.771 win_pct) or in games where they lead in field goal percentage (0.925 win_pct).
  - Points for and against in each category help measure their offensive and defensive performance in different settings.
Strength Metrics:
- Point Differential: The +2.21 point differential indicates the Mavericks score slightly more than they allow, which is a positive metric when evaluating team strength in both offense and defense.

These components give a comprehensive view of how the Mavericks perform across various contexts, helping assess their strengths, weaknesses, and playoff readiness.

You might consider displaying NBA season standings data like the following to provide users with a comprehensive overview of team performances. It shows detailed statistics including wins, losses, home and road records, and points for and against.

In-Season Tournament Standings

The NBA In-Season Tournament is a mid-season competition where teams compete in a series of group-stage and knockout games, with the goal of winning the tournament's championship and a special prize.

To access the In-Season Tournament standings, you need use the IST season parameter. In the endpoint below, you will see teams placed in the In-Season Tournament groups.

Please note that no In-Season Tournament data will exist in regular season standings.

https://api.sportradar.us/nba/production/v8/en/seasons/2023/IST/standings.xml

<league
	xmlns="http://feed.elasticstats.com/schema/basketball/nba/standings-v4.0.xsd" id="4353138d-4c22-4396-
95d8-5f587d2df25c" name="NBA" alias="NBA">
	<season id="170cfa7b-54e8-468b-ab9f-21244769bd75" year="2023" type="IST">
		<conference id="02e1f608-b72d-484c-9fb3-c9df903bc54d" name="EASTERN CONFERENCE" alias="EASTERNIST">
			<division id="34643105-9549-4682-9801-fc72fb4880c4" name="East Group A" alias="EAST_GROUP_A">
				<team id="583ecb8f-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c" name="Hawks" market="Atlanta" wins="0" losses="0"
win_pct="0.0" points_for="0.0" points_against="0.0" point_diff="0.0" sr_id="sr:team:3423" reference="1610612737">
					<games-behind league="0.0" conference="0.0" division="0.0"/>
					<streak></streak>
					<calc_rank/>
					<records></records>
				</team>
				<team id="583ec773-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c" name="Cavaliers" market="Cleveland" wins="0"
losses="0" win_pct="0.0" points_for="0.0" points_against="0.0" point_diff="0.0" sr_id="sr:team:3432"
reference="1610612739">
					<games-behind league="0.0" conference="0.0" division="0.0"/>
					<streak></streak>
					<calc_rank/>
					<records></records>
				</team>
				<team id="583ec928-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c" name="Pistons" market="Detroit" wins="0" losses="0"
win_pct="0.0" points_for="0.0" points_against="0.0" point_diff="0.0" sr_id="sr:team:3424" reference="1610612765">
					<games-behind league="0.0" conference="0.0" division="0.0"/>
					<streak></streak>
					<calc_rank/>
					<records></records>
				</team>
				<team id="583ec7cd-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c" name="Pacers" market="Indiana" wins="0" losses="0"
win_pct="0.0" points_for="0.0" points_against="0.0" point_diff="0.0" sr_id="sr:team:3419" reference="1610612754">
					<games-behind league="0.0" conference="0.0" division="0.0"/>
					<streak></streak>
					<calc_rank/>
					<records></records>
				</team>
				<team id="583ec87d-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c" name="76ers" market="Philadelphia" wins="0"
losses="0" win_pct="0.0" points_for="0.0" points_against="0.0" point_diff="0.0" sr_id="sr:team:3420"
reference="1610612755">
					<games-behind league="0.0" conference="0.0" division="0.0"/>
					<streak></streak>

Click here for XML and JSON samples of the IST Standings.

Standings Rank and Clinching Status

Each team entry in the Standings response also carries a rank node with the team's official conference and division rank and, once secured, its playoff-clinching status. The values match the Rankings feed, so either response can drive rank and clinching displays. This example is trimmed to the top of the Eastern Conference's Central Division, with each team entry reduced to its record and rank fields:

{
  "name": "EASTERN CONFERENCE",
  "alias": "EASTERN",
  "divisions": [
    {
      "name": "Central",
      "alias": "CENTRAL",
      "teams": [
        {
          "id": "583ec928-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
          "name": "Pistons",
          "market": "Detroit",
          "wins": 60,
          "losses": 22,
          "win_pct": 0.732,
          "rank": {
            "conference": 1,
            "division": 1,
            "clinched": "conference"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "583ec773-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
          "name": "Cavaliers",
          "market": "Cleveland",
          "wins": 52,
          "losses": 30,
          "win_pct": 0.634,
          "rank": {
            "conference": 4,
            "division": 2,
            "clinched": "playoff_berth"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "583ecefd-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
          "name": "Bucks",
          "market": "Milwaukee",
          "wins": 32,
          "losses": 50,
          "win_pct": 0.39,
          "rank": {
            "conference": 11,
            "division": 3,
            "clinched": "eliminated"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

rank.conference and rank.division reflect the team's official placement.
clinched appears once a team secures an outcome, such as conference, playoff_berth, play_in_berth, or eliminated. Click here for the complete list of values and their definitions.
The calc_rank node shown above remains a calculated standings rank; use the rank node when you need official placement and clinching context.

How to Access Rankings

You can access rankings using the Rankings feed. This endpoint provides the conference and division rank for each team, including playoff clinching status. The same rank and clinching data also appears in each team's entry in the Standings response, so either feed can drive your clinching displays.

Recommended Call Frequency:

Rankings are updated at the end of the day during the regular season.
Pull as necessary, depending on your use case.

🏀
What is Clinching Status?
Clinching status refers to the point in the season when a team has secured a specific outcome, such as qualifying for the playoffs, winning their division, or securing home-court advantage.
Click here for a complete list of clinched values and their definitions.

{
  "id": "1d29f94c-9587-494b-a232-feb20a40eb4c",
  "name": "Southwest",
  "alias": "SOUTHWEST",
  "teams": [
    {
      "id": "583ecf50-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
      "name": "Mavericks",
      "market": "Dallas",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:3411",
      "reference": "1610612742",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 5,
        "division": 1,
        "clinched": "division"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "583ecc9a-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
      "name": "Pelicans",
      "market": "New Orleans",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:5539",
      "reference": "1610612740",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 8,
        "division": 2
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "583ecb3a-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
      "name": "Rockets",
      "market": "Houston",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:3412",
      "reference": "1610612745",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 11,
        "division": 3,
        "clinched": "eliminated"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Here’s an analysis of the NBA Rankings feed, which gives a snapshot of teams’ positions within their division and conference, along with their clinching status:

Team Data
- Each team has an ID, name, market, and key ranking data within both their conference and division.
  - Conference Rank: Shows where a team stands compared to all other teams in their conference. For example, the Dallas Mavericks are ranked 5th in the Western Conference, while the New Orleans Pelicans are 8th.
  - Division Rank: Indicates the team's position within its own division. For instance, the Mavericks are ranked 1st in the Southwest Division, while the Pelicans are 2nd.
  - Clinching Status: Reflects whether the team has secured a certain position or outcome for the season. The Mavericks have clinched their division, meaning they’ve secured the best record in the Southwest Division, while the Houston Rockets are eliminated, meaning they can no longer qualify for the playoffs.
Ranking Hierarchy
- Teams are ranked in two primary categories:
  - Division Ranking: Measures the team’s performance compared to others in the same division, which impacts their potential seeding in the playoffs.
  - Conference Ranking: This is a broader ranking of all teams within a conference and plays a critical role in determining playoff seeding and home-court advantage.
Clinching Status and Its Importance:
- Clinched Division: The Mavericks have clinched their division, meaning no other team in their division can surpass their record, guaranteeing them a higher seeding in the playoffs.
- Eliminated: The Rockets are eliminated, meaning they can no longer qualify for the playoffs, which ends their postseason hopes for the year.

How to Access Season Awards

Beyond standings and rankings, the NBA API provides season award results (Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, the All-NBA teams, and more) that you can use to enrich season recap pages and team or player profiles.

Two feeds work together here:

Awards List provides the catalog of all award definitions, including each award's ID, name, description, and type (player, coach, or team).
Seasonal Awards provides the award recipients for a given season and season type (REG or PST).

Recommended Call Frequency:

Load the Awards List on an as-needed basis; new awards appear only when they are added to the database.
Pull Seasonal Awards daily or less; award entries are added as they are announced.

Here is an Awards List response, trimmed to the first five award definitions:

{
  "league": {
    "id": "4353138d-4c22-4396-95d8-5f587d2df25c",
    "name": "NBA",
    "alias": "NBA"
  },
  "awards": [
    {
      "id": "63f6226f-d668-4403-9d65-d50640fc1e94",
      "name": "All-Defensive First Team",
      "description": "Awarded to the best defensive players following the regular season, and is typically composed of two five-man lineups.",
      "type": "player"
    },
    {
      "id": "d58c9164-ace4-48eb-b483-8c31455a3c1e",
      "name": "All-Defensive Second Team",
      "description": "Awarded to the best defensive players following the regular season, and is typically composed of two five-man lineups.",
      "type": "player"
    },
    {
      "id": "c02be5af-6c32-4354-a42b-3e32a0d8924b",
      "name": "All-NBA First Team",
      "description": "Awarded to the best players in the league following the regular season, and is typically composed of three five-man lineups.",
      "type": "player"
    },
    {
      "id": "8fdca5d9-9839-4cfb-a950-14068e035bdb",
      "name": "All-NBA Second Team",
      "description": "Awarded to the best players in the league following the regular season, and is typically composed of three five-man lineups.",
      "type": "player"
    },
    {
      "id": "6f65d8e4-5627-43bb-b992-11546e0d1f33",
      "name": "All-NBA Third Team",
      "description": "Awarded to the best players in the league following the regular season, and is typically composed of three five-man lineups.",
      "type": "player"
    }
  ]
}

To retrieve recipients, request Seasonal Awards with the season's starting year and a season type. The postseason (PST) response carries the NBA Championship and Finals MVP results:

{
  "league": {
    "id": "4353138d-4c22-4396-95d8-5f587d2df25c",
    "name": "NBA",
    "alias": "NBA"
  },
  "season": {
    "id": "be2205d3-ed84-4319-9594-a853e8da572d",
    "year": 2025,
    "type": "PST"
  },
  "awards": [
    {
      "name": "NBA Championship",
      "description": "NBA Finals champions",
      "type": "team",
      "effective_date": "2026-06-13",
      "awarded_time_frequency": "annual",
      "awarded_time_period": "2025-26",
      "id": "c1015aba-7c05-4fa7-80a9-1c1ac1ac7ac1",
      "recipients": [
        {
          "level": "winner",
          "name": "New York Knicks",
          "id": "583ec70e-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "NBA Finals MVP",
      "description": "Awarded to the most valuable player of the NBA Finals.",
      "type": "player",
      "effective_date": "2026-06-13",
      "awarded_time_frequency": "annual",
      "awarded_time_period": "2025-26",
      "id": "37b59f7d-e61d-40c8-b4cc-608b58f32433",
      "recipients": [
        {
          "level": "winner",
          "name": "Jalen Brunson",
          "position": "G",
          "id": "8d3edba8-9004-4199-9328-cc2208e8b0d3",
          "team": {
            "id": "583ec70e-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
            "name": "Knicks",
            "alias": "NYK",
            "market": "New York"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "_comment": "Generation started @ 2026-07-24 14:59:22 +0000 ended @ 2026-07-24 14:59:22 +0000"
}

The regular season (REG) response carries the season honors. This example is trimmed to the Most Valuable Player entry and two of the five All-NBA First Team entries:

{
  "league": {
    "id": "4353138d-4c22-4396-95d8-5f587d2df25c",
    "name": "NBA",
    "alias": "NBA"
  },
  "season": {
    "id": "a7c6c8ee-c5ba-4a1a-abf5-723e1539f81b",
    "year": 2025,
    "type": "REG"
  },
  "awards": [
    {
      "name": "Most Valuable Player",
      "description": "Awarded to the best performing player in the regular season.",
      "type": "player",
      "effective_date": "2026-05-17",
      "awarded_time_frequency": "annual",
      "awarded_time_period": "2025-26",
      "id": "7f82f215-bbd2-4684-9f0a-415c12f48f3d",
      "recipients": [
        {
          "level": "winner",
          "name": "Shai Gilgeous-Alexander",
          "position": "G",
          "id": "d9ea4a8f-ff51-408d-b518-980efc2a35a1",
          "team": {
            "id": "583ecfff-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
            "name": "Thunder",
            "alias": "OKC",
            "market": "Oklahoma City"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "All-NBA First Team",
      "description": "Awarded to the best players in the league following the regular season, and is typically composed of three five-man lineups.",
      "type": "player",
      "effective_date": "2026-05-24",
      "awarded_time_frequency": "annual",
      "awarded_time_period": "2025-26",
      "id": "c02be5af-6c32-4354-a42b-3e32a0d8924b",
      "recipients": [
        {
          "level": "winner",
          "name": "Luka Dončić",
          "position": "F-G",
          "id": "d2ee92e9-3e72-45eb-b156-2dc5adc1e6f7",
          "team": {
            "id": "583ecae2-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
            "name": "Lakers",
            "alias": "LAL",
            "market": "Los Angeles"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "All-NBA First Team",
      "description": "Awarded to the best players in the league following the regular season, and is typically composed of three five-man lineups.",
      "type": "player",
      "effective_date": "2026-05-24",
      "awarded_time_frequency": "annual",
      "awarded_time_period": "2025-26",
      "id": "c02be5af-6c32-4354-a42b-3e32a0d8924b",
      "recipients": [
        {
          "level": "winner",
          "name": "Victor Wembanyama",
          "position": "F-C",
          "id": "98e2cdeb-69dc-499c-a853-84c32c714924",
          "team": {
            "id": "583ecd4f-fb46-11e1-82cb-f4ce4684ea4c",
            "name": "Spurs",
            "alias": "SAS",
            "market": "San Antonio"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Here's an analysis of the Seasonal Awards response:

Award Entries: Each entry includes the award's metadata (name, description, type, and ID) plus an effective_date (the date the award was granted) and an awarded_time_period (for example, 2025-26).
Recipients: Each recipient carries a level value (for example, winner; the field can also distinguish award finalists). Player recipients include their position and team, while team awards, such as the NBA Championship, list the team itself as the recipient.
Team Honors Repeat Per Player: Honors like the All-NBA, All-Rookie, and All-Defensive teams appear as multiple entries of the same award name, one entry per selected player. Key your storage on the award id plus the recipient id rather than the award name alone.

Monitoring Standings and Rankings with the Daily Change Log

The Daily Change Log can be a helpful tool for tracking potential adjustments to standings and rankings within the NBA (though rare). For example, if a game statistic is revised due to a correction or a late reporting of results, the change log will include an entry for the update in its results node.

Steps:

Identify Change Type: When you encounter an ID within the results node, it signifies that some data associated with the game has been updated. This doesn't necessarily mean the final score has changed, but rather that various game-related details have been modified.
Pull Detailed Data: Use the game IDs to pull information from the Postgame Standings and Rankings feeds.
Verify Changes: After pulling the detailed data from the Postgame Standings and Rankings feeds, compare the newly retrieved data against previously stored data to verify changes to the standings and update your records accordingly.

Note: While standings and rankings data typically remains stable once games are concluded and results are recorded, rare changes can still occur, such as adjustments following a review of play outcomes or corrections of data errors. You can continue monitoring the Daily Change Log to catch any updates that could impact standings, even though such adjustments are infrequent.

⏱️
Update Frequency
TTL / Cache: 300 seconds
Data Updates:

Entries populate live for changes to teams, players, game statistics, schedules, and standings.

Start time of the log is 05:00:00 UTC; end time is 04:59:59 UTC