What does GB mean in the standings?
GB is games behind: how many games a club would have to make up on the leader, counting a win it needs and a loss the leader would have to take as half a game each.
How it is worked out
GB = ((leader’s wins − club’s wins) + (club’s losses − leader’s losses)) ÷ 2
The half explains the .5 that looks like a typo: a club one win and one loss behind is one game back, but a club that has simply played one fewer game is half a game back. A club level with the leader shows a dash, never 0.0.
What the column says today
- In the Western Conference the Los Angeles Lakers lead at 10-2, and the closest chasers, the Portland Trail Blazers, sit 0.5 games behind. NBA standings
- In the American League the Tampa Bay Rays lead at 98-64, and the closest chasers, the Chicago White Sox, sit 1.0 games behind. MLB standings
- In the American Football Conference the Buffalo Bills lead at 7-1, and the closest chasers, the Kansas City Chiefs, sit 0.5 games behind. NFL standings