About the Data: NBA, NHL & MLB Methodology
Every SharkBetting head-to-head page is built from structured game records. This page explains where the NBA, NHL and MLB records come from, how franchise identity is handled, which games enter each calculation, and how a visible number can be traced back to its game log.
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.
- NBA historical checks: an independent historical reference database is used to cross-check franchise continuity, playoff series records, and older context where the primary API is thinner. It is a verification source, not a scraped input.
- NHL historical archive: structured regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoff records cover the available league history from 1917 onward. Recent results are refreshed from the official NHL data service.
- NHL franchise identity: relocations and inactive franchises are checked against NHL Records. Utah is treated as the new franchise established in 2024; Winnipeg, Phoenix, and Arizona records remain with the inactive Arizona lineage.
- MLB current results: final regular-season and postseason game logs come from the balldontlie MLB API and cover the 2002 season onward. Spring training is excluded. Score and schedule anomalies are checked against the official MLB Stats API.
- MLB complete-history sidecars: 20 reviewed matchup pages also use Retrosheet game logs for the older series record. Those pages label the Retrosheet window separately from the refreshed current feed so the two sources are not presented as one undifferentiated archive.
- Team metadata: colors, conferences, divisions, arenas, names, and identity notes are maintained separately from game results and checked against official league and franchise sources.
How we compute each statistic
Series record and source window
Total recorded meetings include every regular-season and postseason row assigned to the pair inside the labeled source window. Wins and losses include only games with a decided final score. MLB pages without a reviewed Retrosheet sidecar report the current feed since 2002, while the 20 reviewed pages show their separate complete-history start year.
Ties and records without a final score
NHL and MLB ties remain a separate part of the record rather than being assigned as wins or losses. A small number of older source rows do not contain a usable final score. Those rows stay in the recorded meeting total, are labeled as unscored, and are excluded from decided-game rates, margins and streaks.
Average margin of victory
Sum of absolute point, goal or run differences across games with a final score, divided by the number of scored games. Sport-specific units are never mixed, and unscored records do not enter the denominator.
Biggest blowout
The largest valid single-game point differential for NBA pages, goal differential for NHL pages or run differential for MLB pages. Source rows that fail the sport-specific integrity checks are excluded before the page is generated.
Current winning streak
Consecutive wins for one team in the matchup, computed chronologically from the most recent decided 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 decided wins by either team across the complete tracked series. Display ordering is deterministic when two streaks have the same length.
Playoff meetings
Count of postseason games between the two franchise identities, flagged in the underlying game record. NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs and MLB postseason games are calculated separately from regular-season splits.
Franchise identity rules
A name change or relocation does not automatically create a new all-time record. The deciding question is whether the league recognizes a continuous franchise. Historic names then resolve to one canonical identity before games are grouped into matchup files.
The Utah case is the important exception in the current NHL library. Utah acquired Arizona's hockey assets but entered as a new franchise in 2024, while the Arizona Coyotes franchise became inactive. Utah records therefore begin in 2024 and do not inherit games played by the original Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, or Arizona Coyotes.
MLB games from earlier names and locations are grouped under the current continuing club identity. The source-window label remains separate from franchise identity: merging an earlier name never expands a current-feed page beyond its stated 2002 boundary.
Update frequency
Stats are refreshed after completed game days when new source data is available. Each page's Last updated date shows when its underlying data was actually synced.
Editorial standards
- Every numerical claim is derived from structured data, with no estimates or hearsay.
- Published matchup counts come from public route inventories, not every raw archive file.
- Dynamic facts (current streaks, recent form) are explicitly date-anchored.
- Titles and descriptions must include both full team names and current record facts from the same build.
- 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.