About the Data: NBA Head-to-Head Methodology
Every head-to-head page on SharkBetting is built from verified historical data. This page documents where our numbers come from, how we calculate each statistic, and the quality controls applied to every one of our 435 NBA matchup pages.
Primary data sources
- balldontlie NBA API: the primary source for game logs, scores, and season-level splits from 1946 to present. balldontlie provides unofficial but well-maintained NBA data that covers both regular-season and playoff games. Accessed at docs.balldontlie.io.
- Basketball-Reference:cross-referenced for historical franchise continuity, playoff series records, and pre-1979 context where balldontlie coverage is thinner. We use Basketball-Reference as a verification source, never as a scraped input.
- Team metadata (colors, conferences, divisions, arenas) is maintained manually and verified against each franchise's official site.
How we compute each statistic
All-time record
Total wins, losses, and games played across every regular-season and playoff meeting between the two franchises. Franchise relocations are treated as continuous: the Seattle SuperSonics and Oklahoma City Thunder are the same franchise, for example.
Average margin of victory
Sum of absolute point differences across all valid games, divided by game count. Games with missing scores (a small number of pre-1960 records) are excluded from this calculation to prevent data skew.
Biggest blowout
The largest single-game point differential in series history, capped at 73 points. Any margin above 73 (the modern NBA record, MEM over OKC in December 2021) is treated as a data-entry anomaly and excluded from the reported figure.
Current winning streak
Consecutive wins for one team in the matchup, computed chronologically from the most recent meeting backward. The “as of” date reflects when the page's underlying data file was last refreshed.
Longest streak in series history
The longest unbroken run of wins by either team across the entire all-time series. Ties are broken by team alphabetical order.
Playoff meetings
Count of postseason games between the two franchises, flagged via the isPlayoff field in the underlying data.
Update frequency
H2H data is refreshed after each NBA regular season and playoff round. Each page displays its own “Last updated” date in the footer, reflecting when the underlying data file was last synced. Between updates, all-time statistics and historical records remain accurate; only the most recent game log and current streak may lag.
Editorial standards
- Every numerical claim is derived from structured data, with no estimates or hearsay.
- Dynamic facts (current streaks, recent form) are explicitly date-anchored.
- No predictions, betting picks, or time-sensitive tips are included on data pages. Those belong on dedicated betting-analysis content elsewhere on the site.
- Tied series are labeled as tied (e.g., “The series is tied at 133-133”) rather than forced into a leader/trailer framing.
Reporting errors
Found a number that looks off? We take data quality seriously. Reach the editorial team via SharkBetting support or contact the author directly at the Erik Andersson profile page.