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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.
NBAForm.ru » How many minutes does a basketball game last?
The popularity of basketball on television, and in general, is easily explained, because it is one of the most spectacular games in the history of mankind. For the National Basketball Association (NBA), this observation is doubly true, since in the States basketball has been brought to a qualitatively different level. Here, even the game system is built and adjusted in such a way as to give the viewer the opportunity to enjoy the maximum amount of emotions, experiences and sharp moments.
How long does the basketball game last ?
In the NBA, what is called "net" game time is 4 quarters of 12 minutes, that is, 48 minutes. At first glance, this is not enough, because the game in other popular sports takes longer: a football match lasts 90 minutes - 2 halves of 45 minutes, hockey - 3 periods of 20 minutes, etc.
But there is a certain trick here - the actual, "dirty" time of the game, includes a huge number of pauses that fill the time between the game segments. Plus, do not forget about the breaks between quarters, they also last from 2 minutes between the first and second, and third or fourth quarters, up to a 15-minute "big" break in the middle of the match.
According to NBA statistics, an average basketball game lasts about 135-140 minutes. This is true for the regular season, in the playoffs, as a rule, matches are longer.
In European basketball, the duration of the match is shorter - four quarters of 10 minutes, that is, 40 minutes of regular time.
Also, not every game ends in the allotted time: according to the rules, if the teams play a draw in regular time, a 5-minute overtime is assigned, when the teams must necessarily determine the winner. If it is not possible to do this in the first, another one is appointed, then, if necessary, another and another, until one of the squads wins. According to the rules of basketball, the winner must be determined.
The longest game in NBA history took place on January 6, 1951. The Indianapolis Olympians played the Rochester Royals in regular time and then six more overtimes. By modern basketball standards, the score for 78 minutes of playing time is simply ridiculous - 75:73. The explanation for this is that at that time there was no time limit for the attack (now it has 24 seconds, and the ring must be touched, or the ball is passed to the opponent), and the opponents simply did not want to attack so as not to risk it.
In fact, for a fan who attends a match live at the stadium, it can last from 2.5 to 5-6 hours. Therefore, for a full-fledged trip to basketball, it is worth allocating a whole day.
Basketball is full of attacks, on average they last from 5 to 24 seconds, and almost every one ends with some kind of active effective action - a throw, a foul, an interception. This is very popular with the audience, and keeps them in suspense. Tall players throw spectacular shots from above, snipers attack the basket from afar, or in beautiful passes - the variability of attack in basketball is very high.
That's why TV companies love basketball so much, it's great in terms of advertising in the breaks. He has great ratings, often no worse than American football or baseball, the undisputed leaders of the US sports media market.
How many periods in basketball | How many periods does basketball consist of, match duration rules
Basketball is one of the favorite and popular sports all over the world. At the same time, the answer to the question of how many quarters there are in basketball, and what is their duration, causes difficulties for many. Such concepts as a quarter, overtime, break, timeout are familiar to all professional athletes, but such terms often raise questions for ordinary people.
Duration of basketball game
The countdown is carried out only during direct play, that is, when the players hold or dribble the ball. The responsibility for the correct count lies with the arbiter, who watches the timer with a stopwatch. When there are pauses, the ball is outside the playing area, the time stops and starts again after the resumption of the game with the ball.
It depends on the organizer of the competition, so it is different for North America and Europe. The US and FIBA interpret differently, and in order to avoid errors in answering the question of how long the match lasts, it is worth clarifying which association is in question.
The NBA is characterized by a slightly longer duration, which exceeds FIBA by 2 minutes. This is due to the more advertising nature of the players in American tournaments.
Period in basketball: how many minutes does it last?
Previously, it consisted of 2 halves of 20 minutes. In 2000 the rules were changed. Today everything is divided into quarters, the length of which may vary slightly depending on the species.
Varieties:
10-minute;
12-minute.
A longer period is typical for the players of the National Basketball Organization, the so-called NBA. In all other tournaments, it is always the same: 10 minutes. The total time is 48 for the US and 40 for the rest of the leagues.
When organizing in universities and school institutions, these rules are often neglected. In this regard, as a rule, it consists of two periods, 20 minutes each, which is unusual for many team players.
Organization of a basketball match. The referee starts everything by performing a jump ball on the central circle of the court. The referee throws the ball vertically upwards between the representatives of each team. The ball cannot be picked up, therefore, to start the countdown, the player must only touch it, after which the game begins on the court.
The first rules did not limit the basketball player in the time of possible possession of the ball.
Today, a certain time is given for the attack:
24 seconds non-NBA;
32 for basketball in the National Association.
When does the countdown start? The countdown starts from the moment the ball hits the player's hands. The team of referees always includes a 24 second operator who monitors compliance with the ball possession rule. After the throw has passed, you need to pass the ball to another member of the team, otherwise the referee blows the whistle and the match is interrupted. There are temporary restrictions on possession of the ball:
for the first 8 sec. it is necessary to carry the ball from your own half to the opponent's field;
when throwing in or taking a free throw, the time may not exceed 5 minutes;
passing under the ring cannot exceed 3 seconds.
The coach of each team may take a time-out. Their number and organization depends on the team coach. Each party can exercise this right no more than 5 times. It can be done once after regular time. There is the following limitation:
twice - in 1 half;
three times - rest of the second part.
How long does the game last? Goals are being counted and the team with the most goals wins. In case of an equal number of goals scored, extra time is assigned, which is additional time: 5 minutes.
It goes until the winner is determined. The practice of holding tournaments shows that dopas are usually assigned no more than 3 times.
Exceptions may be the so-called paired meetings. In this case, the first match can end in a draw, and in the future the winner will be determined by the results of goals scored in the second.
How long is a basketball game?
Basketball cannot end in a draw, so the number of special stages assigned is not limited.
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. 
At this point, the game will end.
It was a fiery encounter between the Rochester Royals and the Indianapolis Olympians at Edgerton Park Arena.
The referee will stop the clock after the 4th quarter if there is a score difference.
Most youth leagues games include two halves. The average length is 20 minutes for each half of the youth games.
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At first glance, this is not enough, because the game in other popular sports takes longer: a football match lasts 90 minutes - 2 halves of 45 minutes, hockey - 3 periods of 20 minutes, etc. 
If it is not possible to do this in the first, another one is appointed, then, if necessary, another and another, until one of the squads wins. According to the rules of basketball, the winner must be determined. 
This is very popular with the audience, and keeps them in suspense. Tall players throw spectacular shots from above, snipers attack the basket from afar, or in beautiful passes - the variability of attack in basketball is very high. 
In 2000 the rules were changed. Today everything is divided into quarters, the length of which may vary slightly depending on the species. 
Their number and organization depends on the team coach. Each party can exercise this right no more than 5 times. It can be done once after regular time. There is the following limitation: 
