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Standings and Rankings

Use this guide to effectively access WNBA standings and rankings. It also covers the Daily Change Log endpoint which can be used to track postgame revisions to 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.


Difference Between Standings and Rankings

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

  • Standings provide detailed team records that you can display in whichever format you prefer. It also provides a calculated conference and league 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.
  • 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": "08ed8274-e29f-4248-bc2e-83cc8ed18d75",
  "name": "Liberty",
  "market": "New York",
  "wins": 32,
  "losses": 8,
  "win_pct": 0.8,
  "points_for": 85.6,
  "points_against": 76.45,
  "point_diff": 9.15,
  "sr_id": "sr:team:3446",
  "games_behind": {
    "league": 0,
    "conference": 0
  },
  "streak": {
    "kind": "loss",
    "length": 1
  },
  "calc_rank": {
    "conf_rank": 1
  },
  "records": [
    {
      "record_type": "below_500",
      "wins": 19,
      "losses": 3,
      "win_pct": 0.864
    },
    {
      "record_type": "conference",
      "wins": 16,
      "losses": 4,
      "win_pct": 0.8
    },
    {
      "record_type": "equal_rebounds",
      "wins": 2,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 1
    },
    {
      "record_type": "equal_turnovers",
      "wins": 4,
      "losses": 1,
      "win_pct": 0.8
    },
    {
      "record_type": "fewer_turnovers",
      "wins": 17,
      "losses": 3,
      "win_pct": 0.85
    },
    {
      "record_type": "home",
      "wins": 16,
      "losses": 4,
      "win_pct": 0.8
    },
    {
      "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": 9,
      "losses": 1,
      "win_pct": 0.9
    },
    {
      "record_type": "leads_field_goal_pct",
      "wins": 23,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 1
    },
    {
      "record_type": "leads_rebounds",
      "wins": 21,
      "losses": 4,
      "win_pct": 0.84
    },
    {
      "record_type": "neutral",
      "wins": 0,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 0
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_fewer_turnovers",
      "wins": 11,
      "losses": 4,
      "win_pct": 0.733
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_leads_field_goal_pct",
      "wins": 9,
      "losses": 8,
      "win_pct": 0.529
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_leads_rebounds",
      "wins": 9,
      "losses": 4,
      "win_pct": 0.692
    },
    {
      "record_type": "opponent_scores_100_or_more",
      "wins": 0,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 0
    },
    {
      "record_type": "overtime",
      "wins": 0,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 0
    },
    {
      "record_type": "over_500",
      "wins": 13,
      "losses": 5,
      "win_pct": 0.722
    },
    {
      "record_type": "road",
      "wins": 16,
      "losses": 4,
      "win_pct": 0.8
    },
    {
      "record_type": "scores_100_or_more",
      "wins": 4,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 1
    },
    {
      "record_type": "ten_points",
      "wins": 20,
      "losses": 2,
      "win_pct": 0.909
    },
    {
      "record_type": "three_points",
      "wins": 2,
      "losses": 0,
      "win_pct": 1
    }
  ]
}

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

  1. Team Data

    • Each team includes key identifiers and performance metrics:

      • Record (Wins, Losses): The New York Liberty have a 32–8 record, reflecting a dominant season overall.

      • Winning Percentage (win_pct): With a .800 win rate, the Liberty are among the league’s top performers.

      • Points For and Against: They average 85.6 points per game while allowing just 76.45, resulting in a strong point differential of +9.15—an important sign of balance between offense and defense.

      • Games Behind: The Liberty are currently leading both their league and conference, sitting 0 games behind in either.

      • Streaks: Despite their strong season, they are coming off a 1-game losing streak.

      • Rank: New York holds the #1 spot in the Eastern Conference, underscoring their elite status.

  2. Categories: The record_type field breaks down Liberty performance across different contexts:

    • Conference

      • Against Eastern Conference teams, the Liberty are 16–4, crucial for playoff positioning.

    • Home and Road

      • Home: 16–4 at Barclays Center, demonstrating consistency in front of home fans.

      • Road: Also 16–4, showing strength even in away environments.

    • Other Situational Metrics

      • They are undefeated (23–0) when leading in field goal percentage and have a 21–4 record when winning the rebound battle.

      • Against teams under .500, they’re 19–3, and against winning teams, 13–5.

    • Efficiency Stats

      • When committing fewer turnovers, the team is 17–3, and they win 84% of games when they out-rebound their opponents.
      • In high-scoring games (100+ points), they’re 4–0, and 20–2 in games decided by 10+ points.

  3. Strength Metrics:

    • Point Differential: At +9.15, New York scores significantly more than it allows, indicating dominance on both ends of the floor.

These metrics highlight the Liberty’s well-rounded game, consistency, and ability to close out various matchups across the season.

You might consider displaying WNBA team stats in this format to give users a clear snapshot of performance across the a particular season. The table includes detailed metrics like total points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers, and shooting efficiency (FG%). For example, the New York Liberty rank second in total points (3,424), lead all teams in rebounds (1,463), and are second in assists (911), highlighting their well-rounded gameplay. Presenting this level of detail helps users analyze team strengths and identify trends in offensive and defensive execution.


How to Access Rankings

You can access standings using the Rankings feed. This endpoint provides the conference and division rank for each team, including playoff clinching status.

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, based on their performance. Once a team reaches a clinching status, their playoff participation or seeding is guaranteed, and the rest of the season is focused on final rankings and potential matchups

{
  "id": "092510cf-3285-48bb-b831-40ac3608ca36",
  "name": "EASTERN CONFERENCE",
  "alias": "EASTERN-W",
  "teams": [
    {
      "id": "08ed8274-e29f-4248-bc2e-83cc8ed18d75",
      "name": "Liberty",
      "market": "New York",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:3446",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 1,
        "clinched": "playoff_berth"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "a015b02d-845c-40c1-8ef4-844984f47e4d",
      "name": "Sun",
      "market": "Connecticut",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:35547",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 2,
        "clinched": "playoff_berth"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "f073a15f-0486-4179-b0a3-dfd0294eb595",
      "name": "Fever",
      "market": "Indiana",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:3452",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 3,
        "clinched": "playoff_berth"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "5d70a9af-8c2b-4aec-9e68-9acc6ddb93e4",
      "name": "Dream",
      "market": "Atlanta",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:35545",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 4,
        "clinched": "playoff_berth"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "5c0d47fe-8539-47b0-9f36-d0b3609ca89b",
      "name": "Mystics",
      "market": "Washington",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:3454",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 5,
        "clinched": "eliminated"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "3c409388-ab73-4c7f-953d-3a71062240f6",
      "name": "Sky",
      "market": "Chicago",
      "sr_id": "sr:team:35546",
      "rank": {
        "conference": 6,
        "clinched": "eliminated"
      }
    }
  ]
}

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

  1. Team Data

    • Each team entry includes a unique ID, name, market, and current ranking status within the Eastern Conference.

      • Conference Rank: Indicates the team's position relative to others in the same conference. For example, the New York Liberty are ranked 1st, while the Chicago Sky hold the 6th spot in the East.

      • Clinching Status: Reflects whether the team has secured a certain position or outcome for the season.

        • The Liberty, Sun, Fever, and Dream have each clinched a playoff berth, meaning they’ve secured a spot in the postseason.
        • The Mystics and Sky are eliminated, meaning they no longer have a chance to qualify for the playoffs.

  2. Ranking Hierarchy

    • Teams are ranked in two primary categories:

      • Conference Ranking: This is the primary measure for playoff qualification, determining both eligibility and seeding.
      • Clinched Status: Adds context to the team’s season outcome—whether they’ve locked in a playoff berth or are mathematically out of contention..

  3. Understanding Clinching Scenarios:

    • Playoff Berth: Teams like the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun have secured playoff spots and can now compete for higher seeds or home-court advantage.

    • Eliminated: Teams such as the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky are out of the playoff race and will not participate in postseason games.


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 WNBA (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.

Updated about 10 hours ago

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