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How long do professional basketball games last


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.

Contents

How Long Is An NBA Game?

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. 

How Long Are Basketball Games IN FIBA?

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. 

How Long Does a Basketball Game Last in NCAA Rule?

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.

How Long Is a High School Basketball Game?

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.

What Is the Longest NBA Game?

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.

How Do NBA Games Take Place?

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 

When Does Clock Stop?

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

1. How long do basketball games last for youth leagues?

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.

2. How long is a women’s game in college basketball?

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

3. Why do playoff games usually last longer than regular-season games?

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

Final Thoughts

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!

NBA Game Length: How long is an NBA game in minutes?

NBA game played between Pelicans and Grizzlies.AP

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Basketball is one of the most exciting sports, but also one of the longest, especially the exciting NBA games, although it is a little difficult to say the exact duration of a game, which is easier to define if we refer to its time in minutes.

First, it is important to clarify that the length of an NBA game is not the same as the length of games in competitions regulated by the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

How long do basketball games last?

Games in WNBA competitions are played over two 20-minute halves, for a total playing time of forty minutes.

FIBA games are played over four quarters lasting 10 minutes each for a total of 40 minutes, with five minutes of overtime (if needed).

NCAA men's games are forty minutes long divided into two 20-minute halves, while women's games are four 10-minute quarters.

How long are NBA games in minutes?

Each basketball game regulated by the NBA is played in four quarters of 12 minutes each, for a total of 48 minutes.

However, to that time must be added the halftime that lasts 15 minutes, as well as the constant pauses during the game due to fouls, injuries and free throws.

We cannot forget the timeouts that each team has, up to seven timeouts per game, four of them mandatory, having to take a full timeout per quarter and not being able to use more than three timeouts in the last quarter.

NBA timeouts have been 75 seconds in length since the 2017-18 season, changing the format of short and long timeouts previously implemented.

In short, an NBA game has an average duration of 2.5 hours, although in some cases, mainly due to playing overtime, they reach a duration of up to three hours.

Just as a curious fact, the longest NBA game took place on January 6, 1951 between the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals at the Edgerton Park Arena in Rochester, New York.

The playing time was 78 minutes and the Olympians won the game 75-73, including six overtimes to be included in the Guinness World Records.


    How long is a basketball game (and why)?

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

    Exact answer: 48 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.

    What is basketball and its variations

    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.

    The time required to play basketball varies. The difference is caused by the varying degrees of basketball games. For example, basketball times for high school, college, NCAA, NBA, and professional players differ. In addition, each of the above levels uses extra time whenever there is a tie after the end of the game.

    How much time does various games in basketball take
    4 Type of game 9000
    NBA basketball game 48 minutes
    Basketball match of the secondary school 90 minutes
    Professional basketball games 48 minutes - 2 hours 15 minutes

    1) basketball matches in college 9000

    also play baseball. Unlike the four quarters used in other regular matches, high school games consist of two 20-minute parts.

    The half time is 15 minutes, as in the National Basketball Association, and overtime is 5 minutes. Broadcasts of school games last approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes.

    2) NCAA Basketball Game

    The National Collegiate Athletic Association is the high school b-ball gathering. This game is considered to be excessively long.

    Numerous breaks consume almost 30 minutes of play. In the event that the ball hits either end of the basket or the team in possession of the ball changes, shot checks come into effect and the ball is pocketed. This time is different.

    According to the NCAA, the time to shoot is 35 seconds for men and 30 seconds for women.

    3) NBA basketball game

    An NBA game is 48 minutes long. The game is usually divided into four quarters of 12 minutes each. Whenever any of the playing teams have a tie, the time will surely increase.

    In the case of b-ball, the bind gives extra time, and the game is played separately until a winner is determined. Extra time lasts 5 minutes.

    4) School basketball

    B-ball is one of the most popular games in high schools. School games are estimated to last 90 minutes. This is an absolute time including breath holds, clock stops and fouls that may occur.

    Like the NBA, high schools use four quarters, although the quarters are shorter. Each quarter lasts 8 minutes, and there is a ten-minute break between the second and third quarters.

    For example, extra time in high school is four minutes if the teams are tied.

    5) Professional basketball game

    This game depends on the affiliation that controls it. An NBA game is 48 minutes long, although FIBA ​​games are 40 minutes long.

    The total time required to play any particular professional game is more than 2 hours and 15 minutes. Time includes breaks in time such as breaks, fouls and breaks.

    NBA games, however, have different breaks, not like the Olympics and FIBA ​​games. There are four mandatory breaks in NBA games.

    In addition, ball finals take longer than regular games; about 3 hours.

    Why do these basketball games take so long

    In basketball, a game can never end in a draw because there must be a champion. So depending on the type of game, from high school to professional level, there is extra time to determine the winner.

    Exactly how long to go home Open

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    Content

    how long is a half in basketball, how many quarters are there in a basketball game

    Oleg Panasyuk

    Time in basketball is the most important factor in the control of the match, both by referees and teams. It is divided by the time of the segments, the time for the team to attack, controls various rules: from throwing the ball from outside the court to the time spent in certain zones.

    But the most important element of the game is the time of the match itself: the division of the game into segments. This component may differ from league to league, depending on their regulations.

    How many quarters are there in basketball? How long is a quarter in basketball? How are they different from timings?

    Get a bonus for betting on basketball

    A quarter in basketball: what is the difference from a half

    According to the rules of the International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), matches are divided into quarters - segments that divide the match into equal parts. Previously, matches under the auspices of FIBA ​​consisted of 2 halves (two halves) of 20 minutes of pure playing time, but since 2000 there have been changes in the rules.

    According to the new rules adopted in 2000, the match consists of quarters of 10 minutes of pure time each (in the NBA - of quarters of 12 minutes).

    The only ones who keep the rule of dividing the match into halves are American students - NCAA.

    Basketball game duration and timing

    The total duration of basketball games may vary. According to the rules of basketball matches, time stops after the whistle of the referee (stopping the game) and the ball leaving the court. This is called net match time. The net time of matches under the auspices of FIBA ​​is 40 minutes. Under the auspices of the NBA - 48 minutes.

    In case of a tie at the end of the regular time of the game, extra time is assigned - overtime. Overtimes are played until the winner of the meeting is determined - their number is not limited by the rules. Each overtime consists of 5 minutes of pure time.

    Free basketball broadcasts

    How many quarters are there in a basketball game

    There are 4 quarters in a basketball game. FIBA - 4 quarters of 10 minutes. NBA - 4 quarters of 12 minutes.

    How long is a half in basketball

    A half is considered to be half of a basketball match without breaks between parts of the half. A half consists of 20 minutes of playing time. Previously, a basketball game consisted of two halves, each lasting 20 minutes. Now in this format they play in the US student league.

    How long is the fourth quarter

    Unlike the 20-minute halves, the quarter is shorter in time. For example, the fourth quarter of a basketball game lasts 10 or 12 minutes (depending on federation rules). A quarter can drag on for 20, 30 or more minutes. This is explained by the fact that at the end of the meeting, the team that concedes (with a slight difference in the score) can use the tactics of deliberate fouls. The meaning of the tactic is that the team that is inferior in the score begins to violate the rules against the opponent's players, trying to provoke the latter to miss free throws.

    How long is a break in basketball

    The longest break in basketball is between the second and third quarters (between halves of a basketball game) — 15 minutes.


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