How long are pro basketball games

How Long Is a NBA Game?

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Basketball is one of the hottest and most anticipated sports on the planet. However, newbies may not be sure about NBA game length. So, how long is a basketball game?

An average NBA game time usually lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours. However, that is not an exact number for all leagues or associations.

Scott Fujita will tell you the duration of specific basketball matches according to NBA, FIBA, NCAA, or NFHS rules.

An NBA game usually lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours.

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A typical NBA game usually lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours. However, that is not an exact number for all leagues or associations.

As we also mentioned above, basketball game time will vary from league to league. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), each period will be 12 minutes. Total playing time will be up to 48 minutes for the fourth-quarter game. The overtime period lasts for 5 minutes in a NBA game.

View more: 

• How long is a college basketball game
• How long is halftime in NBA
• How long is a basketball court

Half time between 2nd and 3rd periods is 15 minutes. However, this is only theoretical time. Many factors make the time of an NBA match stretch to even 2 hours. It is a bit longer than the FIFA games. 

Basketball game time is often longer because of commercial breaks. 

According to The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules, a game will have four quarters. How many minutes is a quarter in basketball in FIBA? Each quarter lasts 10 minutes, and the total basketball match will be 40 minutes. Compared to NBA quarter length, FIBA games have shorter quarters. 

In addition, there are additional regulations on the rest time between quarters. So, how long is a quarter in basketball games?

• Basketball teams will have about 20 minutes to prepare before the game begins.
• The halftime between the first half and second half is 2 minutes.
• The half time between the 2nd and 3rd quarters is 15 minutes. The two teams need time to switch pitches and proceed to the next quarters.
• The half time between the 3rd and 4th quarters is 2 minutes.
• The time between the extra quarters is 2 minutes.

Overtime periods take place when both teams play all four quarters but still haven’t found a winner. If the team scores more goals in the first extra time, that team wins. At this point, the game will end.

Conversely, if the first overtime does not decide the winner, both teams will continue to play in the subsequent overtime. The halftime of FIBA games will start when the game clock sounds to announce the end of the half.

Each FIBA basketball quarter lasts 10 minutes. 

NCAA means the National Collegiate Athletic Association. 

College basketball games’ time is two halves of 20 minutes each. The total game time is about 2 hours 10 minutes. The half time between halves of the college games is 15 minutes. The overtime of a college basketball game is 5 minutes.

The NFHS is the organization that regulates the playing time of high school basketball games. Accordingly, high school games have four quarters. Each basketball quarter lasted eight minutes. The halftime is 10 minutes.

The longest NBA game in history happened in the 1951 season. It was a fiery encounter between the Rochester Royals and the Indianapolis Olympians at Edgerton Park Arena.

There are so many overtime periods that the actual game time is up to 78 minutes. That year, the Indianapolis Olympians excellently won 75-73 against the Royals. The match lasted six quarters instead of the usual four. It is also one of the Guinness World Records.

Besides, we can mention the longest college basketball game in 1981. This match took place with the participation of two teams, the Bradley Braves, and the Cincinnati Bearcats. 

The victory went to 75 minutes. It was just three minutes shorter than the 1951 match between the Olympians and the Royals mentioned above.

Not stopping there, this 1981 match broke another record. That’s the longest player on the field in a basketball game. 

Bradley center Donald Reese and Cincinnati guard Bobby Austin played on the field for 73 minutes. No one has overcome this to this day.

You can refer to some long NBA games via this video.

Twenty minutes before the match, the coaches of both teams will register the list of players. That list includes jersey numbers, names of players, captains, leading coaches, assistants. 

At that time, the coach appoints five players on the official list and confirms the score sheet. The home team will have the right to choose the basket and bench and then notify the main referee.

The referee blows the whistle, and the game starts. Two teams stand on the field to prepare. The ball is then “thrown” high by the referee in the circle in the center of the area. When any player touches the ball, then the timed game is “started.”

NBA games 

The time of each quarter ends when the referee blows the whistle to end the quarter. The referee will stop the clock after the 4th quarter if there is a score difference.

There was an infraction during play, but the clock signaled the end of the period. How will the referee handle it? The player will take the free throw immediately afterward, before halftime.

The clock will stop during the time of the two teams to temporarily break and make substitutions. It also happens when a player commits a foul, and the ball goes out of the playing area.

A free throw occurs, which could lead to one, two, or even three free throws.

Clock stoppages happen when one team calls one timeout. Each NBA club has 60 seconds in the first timeout and a shorter time in the second timeout. The second timeouts depend on whether the NBA match is “nationally televised” or not.

Below are some of the common questions that beginners have about the length of basketball games.

A youth basketball game often lasts about one hour. Most youth leagues games include two halves. The average length is 20 minutes for each half of the youth games.

Women’s games often last two hours. There are four quarters, and each lasts 10 minutes. 

A playoff game takes longer than a regular-season game due to its longer commercial breaks.

Now you have general knowledge regarding the topic “how long are NBA games.” We will keep you updated with the latest sports news about basketball and other sports on Scott Fujita. Thank you for reading!

How Long is a Basketball Game - What Adds to the Watch Time?

NBA basketball games consist of four quarters that are 12 minutes of official game time. A typical NBA game takes about two and a half hours to complete. A regular-season game takes less time to complete than a playoff game due to extended commercial breaks.

So why do professional basketball games take close to two and a half hours to complete if there are only 48 minutes of game time? Does the WNBA and college basketball use the same four 12-minute periods for their matches? Here is the complete breakdown of how long a basketball game is!

How Many Quarters are in an NBA Game and How Long Does it Take to Complete?

NBA games are forty-eight minutes of game time broken into four 12-minute quarters. Each quarter is 12 minutes of the game clock that stops numerous times during the game. Overtime is an additional five minutes to decide a winner if the game is tied after four periods.

How Long is an Olympic Basketball Game?

For the Olympics, FIBA basketball games break down into four 10-minute quarters. Olympic overtime is the same as the NBA with five minutes. Games tend to take about two hours to complete because there are fewer team timeouts, and the three-point line is closer than in the NBA by one foot.

How Long is a WNBA Game?

The WNBA uses four ten-minute-quarters to complete a game. Halftime intermission between the second and third periods lasts for fifteen minutes. Most WNBA games conclude in about two hours. The longest WNBA game on record came in 2002 when it took just under three hours to complete since it went into three overtime periods.

How Long is a College Basketball Game?

For NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) college basketball games, you have two 20-minute halves. In between both halves, there is a fifteen-minute halftime intermission. Most college basketball games take about two hours to complete.

How Long is a High School Basketball Game?

High School basketball games are 32 minutes of the official clock broken down in four quarters. There is also a 10-minute halftime break that separates the second and third periods. Most High School games are about 1.5 hours to complete.

However, High School basketball games do allow a Mercy Rule. A Mercy Rule enables the clock to keep running to speed up the game’s conclusion if there is a difference of 30 points and both teams agree to play with that. You can read more about this rule from Hoopsking.com.

Why Does the Clock Stop During Basketball Games?

There are numerous reasons why the game clock stops running during a basketball game. Below are some of the most common reasons why clock stoppages during a basketball game.

• A free throw occurs, which could lead to one, two, or even three free throws attempts depending on the foul
• A referee calls a foul
• The basketball ball goes into the stands or simply out of bounds.
• A substitution is taking place, so the referee waits until every player is ready before resuming the action
• An injury takes place on the court. Depending on the injury, you will see a commercial break that allows the player to receive the medical attention they need.

How Do Timeouts Work in Basketball?

In the NBA, each team gets seven timeouts during match play. During each quarter of play, there must be two timeouts that occur. If there are no timeouts before the 6:59 mark, the referees will create a timeout on a dead ball moment and charge it to the home team. If no timeouts occur before the 2:59 mark, referees will issue a timeout to the away team on the next pause in action.

Timeouts by either team are a minute and fifteen seconds, and they stop the clock. You can only call a timeout when your team has the ball. Teams usually will draw up plays during halftime and make substations on the court to rest players.

What Adds to the Time for Playoff Games?

Playoff basketball tends to take a bit longer than regular-season games to complete. The primary reason playoff games are more prolonged than regular-season games is to longer commercial breaks. Also, there might be a ceremony before a game, which can add a bit more time to the overall game.

What is the Longest NBA Game?

The longest NBA game took place in 1951 with the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals. There were multiple overtime periods, which made the actual playtime clock seventy-eight minutes. The Indianapolis Olympians are no longer a franchise in the National Basketball Association, while the Rochester Royals are now the Sacramento Kings. 

What are Ways the NBA Can Speed up the Game?

The NBA is always tinkering with how to speed up the game. For example, the NBA reduced how many timeouts a team can take during the fourth quarter of gameplay. The result saw games decline from 2 hours and 23 minutes to two hours and 15.

Below are some other ways the NBA / WNBA can speed up a game’s conclusion without compromising the sport.

• Limiting the number of foul calls that take place during a game
• Reducing the number of commercials during the game
• If the reduction in commercials is not an option, basketball can incorporate a split-screen in action with a commercial and game showing side by side
• Speeding up instant replay reviews by referees

Conclusion – How Long is a Basketball Game

In summary, a professional men’s basketball game takes close to 2. 5 hours to complete. Games consist of 4 12 minute periods with a 15-minute halftime intermission between periods two and three. Games take longer to complete due to substitutions, commercial breaks, free throws, and timeouts.

WNBA, Olympic games, NCAA matches, and High School basketball games all take less time to complete than an NBA game. Each of these leagues takes less time to complete their game clock, which results in less time to complete. High School basketball can take an hour to an hour and a half to finish if teams opt for a mercy rule to speed up the game’s conclusion.

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Last updated: August 26, 2022 / author Sandeep Bhandari / Fact verified / 3 minutes

When it comes to outdoor games, there are many games in which people participate or support their teams. And basketball is one of them. This guide contains more information about the different types of b-games and the time spent on each game.

Basketball is a team sport in which two opposing teams of mostly five players play on a rectangular court. The goal of a field goal is worth two points, except when it occurs behind the three-point line.

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