Data timing and rights
The questions people ask before they build on DunkAPI: what the timestamps mean, how fresh each dataset is, and what the terms let you do with the data.
Timing
Measured on our own data. The data changelog shows when each dataset last refreshed.
- What does captured_at mean?
- The time of the archived snapshot the line was read from, not when we stored it. Since October 2026 every book's game lines are captured every hour for games in the next four days, and props at 15:00 and 20:00 UTC on game day and once more in the last 75 minutes.
- What are opening and closing lines?
- Lines and prices are pre-game only: anything captured at or after the start is dropped, so no in-play price is served. Opening is the first capture we hold for a game and book, which isn't always the book's very first posting; closing is the last capture before the start. The NBA closing line is usually a few minutes before the sportsbooks' listed start. Before mid-2020 most books carry one final pre-game line, stored as the close.
- Are player props pre-game?
- A row is served only if it was captured before the sportsbooks' listed start, capped at 45 minutes after the scheduled start. The scheduled time is the broadcast start; games usually tip about 10 minutes later, and the books list that later time. From November 2025 to June 2026 most games have one snapshot per market a few minutes before the listed start, so about 96% of rows were captured after the scheduled start. Every row carries scheduled_start and minutes_before_scheduled_start (negative when captured after it): filter on minutes_before_scheduled_start > 0 for a strictly before-schedule cut. We don't hold a verified tip-off time.
- What do injury statuses mean?
- get_injuries is the injury list as captured once a day: Day-To-Day or Out, the injury and an expected return where given. There's no Probable, Questionable or Doubtful status and no publication time. Daily snapshots are kept from October 9 2026, and date returns the latest on or before a day. A player who isn't listed isn't on that day's list, which isn't a confirmation that he's active.
- When do box scores and play-by-play update?
- Once a day at 10:00 UTC. A game is refetched for about a day and a half after it ends to pick up stat corrections, then left as is.
- Are expected points and ratings as-of?
- Ratings (Elo) are recomputed every day from every final game and stored before and after each game, so any past date can be read. expected_points comes from a shot model fitted on every season, later ones included, and refitted by hand; past values are replaced at a refit, so it isn't a point-in-time value.
- Do you keep revision history?
- No. We keep the current version of each record. When a source corrects a score, stat or play, the record is overwritten, and we don't keep the earlier version, a change log per record, or a revision id. The data changelog shows when each dataset last refreshed.
- Is there a free way to tell whether a response changed?
- Not per record. Calls are charged as normal, an empty answer is refunded, and the same call repeated within two minutes is charged once.
What you can do with the data
A plain summary of the terms, which control if the two ever differ.
- Can I store the data and build on it?
- Yes. While your account is open you can store what you pull for as long as you like, derive values from it, and use it for research, backtesting and training your own models. The same terms apply on the free plan and every paid plan.
- Can I use it in a commercial product?
- Yes. You can build commercial apps, websites and tools on DunkAPI data, show your users statistics, forecasts and other values you derive from it, and show individual data points, including individual odds, in your own app or dashboard. You can sell what you generate yourself, such as probabilities or model outputs.
- What isn't allowed?
- Passing the data on as a dataset, feed, file or API of its own, or building a service that competes with DunkAPI using it. Redistributing odds, lines or prices as a raw or bulk feed or export. Presenting the data as official league data, or suggesting a league, team or player endorses you.
- What happens after I cancel?
- Data you stored while your account was open can still be used for your own internal purposes, such as research and backtesting. It doesn't cover a product that keeps serving users on the data, so keep an account open for as long as a product runs on it.
- Do you grant league rights?
- No. DunkAPI is an independent data provider, not an official league partner, so league rights, marks and the league's own reports aren't ours to grant. If your use needs the league's permission, that's between you and the league.
- Do I need to credit you or anyone else?
- No attribution is required.
- Where does the data come from?
- DunkAPI combines public sources and archives with its own models, and we don't publish a source list per dataset. Values we compute ourselves, such as ratings, expected goals or points and win probability, say so in each endpoint's docs.
Something not covered? Email support@dunkapi.com.