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How many minutes per quarter in basketball


Basketball Quarters

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A quarter in basketball refers to the period of time in one section of a basketball game. An NBA game is split into four 12-minute periods that are referred to as quarters. The game clock shows how much time is left in every given quarter, starting at 12:00 and running all the way to zero. This happens four times until the end of regulation. There is sometimes an overtime period of five minutes if the two teams are tied at the end of regulation.

Table of Contents

  • How Long are Breaks between Quarters in Basketball?
  • How Many Quarters are there in a Basketball Game?
  • Duration of Quarters
  • How Long is a Quarter in the NBA?
  • How Long is a Quarter in High School Basketball?
  • International Basketball Level
  • FAQ

How Long are Breaks between Quarters in Basketball?

In between quarters in basketball, the breaks are called intermissions.  The intermissions after the first, third, and fourth quarters last 130 seconds. These breaks are short, as there is a longer break called halftime in the middle of the game. 

Halftime is 15 minutes long and occurs between the second and third quarters. Teams return to their locker rooms to talk about what happened in the first half and what they can do better in the second half. It is also a good time to rest up and gain back some energy for the second half. It is crucial to have a productive halftime in order to see serious progress on the court in the form of tactical and lineup adjustments. 

How Many Quarters are there in a Basketball Game?

Usually, in the NBA or in high school, games are split up into four quarters, hence the name “quarter.” However, the duration of quarters differs between high school and in the NBA. There are four 12-minute quarters in the NBA, while quarter-length can be different in many different leagues for high schools. In the NCAA, they do not play quarters: instead, they play two 20-minute halves.

Duration of Quarters

The duration of quarters in high school can differ, but they are normally eight minutes each. The duration of quarters for the NBA is 12 minutes. In international basketball, the length of quarters is 10 minutes.

How Long is a Quarter in the NBA?

An NBA basketball game consists of regulation and possibly overtime quarters.

In regulation, there are four quarters that last 12 minutes each. This means that there are 48 minutes in regulation.

  • Quarter 1: 12:00
  • Quarter 2: 12:00
  • Quarter 3: 12:00
  • Quarter 4: 12:00

If the score is equal at the end of regulation, extra quarters of game time are played to determine the winning team. In the NBA, overtime periods last five minutes. The team with the most points at the end of the overtime quarter is the winner.

How Long is a Quarter in High School Basketball?

While high school basketball rules often vary from state to state, the basic rules are generally the same.  High school basketball quarters are eight minutes in length, with a 10-minute break at halftime. Because of this, a high school basketball game typically will last around an hour and a half. However, some states allow games to move along much quicker if a team is winning by a lot. Known as the mercy rule, if a team is leading by around 30 points, the clock will only stop for timeouts and injuries. 

International Basketball Level

The duration of a basketball quarter at the international level is 10 minutes. There is a two-minute gap between each quarter in the international leagues. These quarters are two minutes less than the duration of a quarter of basketball played in the NBA. Additionally, these quarters in total have the same amount of time as two 20-minute halves in college basketball.

FAQ

Why are there breaks in between quarters?

There are breaks in between quarters in order to give the players a rest in order for them to be fresh and ready for the start of the next quarter.  Halftime is longer than the other breaks between quarters in order to give players an even longer chance to rest for the half ahead of them and to gameplan what they can fix in their game. They can also talk about what they have been doing well and how they can continue to do this in the coming half. There are also media timeouts, which are used by television stations to pause for commercials.

How long are the quarters in Olympic basketball?

The Olympics use the same rules as international basketball by having 10-minute quarters. However, overtime periods in the Olympics are the same 5-minute length as NBA overtime.

Why are NBA quarters 12 minutes?

The NBA has always featured four 12-minute quarters, despite international and NCAA basketball featuring different period systems. This is in part because the NBA sought to keep games that ended in regulation to a rough maximum of just over two hours, including halftime and intermissions. Additionally, the general consensus is that the NBA considers this to be the ideal quarter length to promote a sustainably high level of play and an enjoyable viewing experience.

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Pages Related to Basketball Quarters

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  • Basketball Pivoting
  • Basketball Rules List
  • Basketball Rules and Regulations
  • Basketball Roster Size
  • Basketball Penalty Situation

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Why A Basketball Quarter Is Exactly 12 Minutes Explained! – Basketball Word!

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Many people often wonder why the NBA has quarters and not halves like college basketball. Or why the NBA uses 12 minute quarters and not 10 or 15 minutes like other professional sports leagues do.

Why is a basketball quarter 12 minutes? The birth of the NBA has always seen four, twelve-minute quarters in their league. Taking the foundation of the basketball rules seen in college prior to the birth of the league, the NBA decided that 12 minute quarters was the perfect amount of time for a basketball game to last just over 2 hours. They determined this was the ideal amount of time for a paying spectator to enjoy a professional basketball game.

Not all leagues are created equal, you can say the NBA created its own identity going against the grain of how basketball games were supposed to be played at that time. Basketball was two halves of 15 to 20 minutes of play. Let’s take a further look at why the NBA took this approach.

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A Brief History of Basketball and Its Rules

When Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891 in Springfield Massachusetts, it was to keep his students that he was training to keep busy. The game was not perfect and saw many rules changes through the years, but at the time of his invention, he had to create rules to maintain order in the game. So he invented the 13 rules of basketball. The original 13 rules of basketball were as follows:

 

One of the original rules was Naismith implemented two fifteen-minute halves per game as you would see in a college game. The college game was original played this way but ultimately it was changed to two twenty-minute halves. Basketball would evolve, players were getting better and more points were being scored, the change was needed.

Before the NBA was founded, the National Basketball Association was known as the Basketball Association of America in 1946. The birth of the league took place in New York and would eventually change its name to the NBA three years later after merging with the American Basketball League.

The NBA has always used 12 minute quarters during games, and it is believed that this was the perfect amount of time for spectators and basketball teams to go head to head in competitive play. During that time teams were playing 6o game season.

The American Basketball Association is also known as the ABA was founded in 1967 and used the same quarter length of 12 minutes as the NBA did. In 1976 the ABA would merge with the NBA. The rules of the NBA were very similar to the rules of the ABA so players didn’t have any difficult time adjusting.

Fun Fact: The ABA had already implemented a three-point line in their league in which the NBA had not done so as of yet. When the two leagues merged it was until 3 years later in 1979 the NBA would introduce the line. It was the same distance as it was now 23 feet and 9 inches but known as the 25  footer.

So why are Basketball Quarter’s Exactly 12 minutes?

Originally when the league was created with very little time to spare, the NBA took the college game as the foundation of their rules. College basketball was successful then and still is now. Although college basketball would move from 15-minute halves to 20-minutes which seemed to be a much better format.

Quoted by the NBA.com Why 12 Minute Quarters?

I think it’s important to note that the NBA wanted to create its own identity of being a professional basketball league. So what they found is a college game is too short for a paying spectator. They would decide to create 4 quarters instead of 2 halves at 12 minutes apiece and found that this would give the average fan 2 hours to 2 and a half hours of watch time. So fans could surely get their money worth.

Hypothetically making the quarters a minute longer or 3 minutes longer adds a significant amount of time to the game. If we were to add 3 minutes making each quarter an even 15 minutes, we are looking at an extra 12 minutes of action that almost an extra quarter to each game. If we added the bare minimum of 1 minute extra each quarter making it 13 minutes a quarter we are still looking at 4 extra minutes a game which is almost equivalent to playing overtime each game. We all know how tired players get when the game goes into overtime.

I really believe the NBA should cut down on the number of games a team will play in a season. 82 games is a lot and more than ever players are getting injured at a higher rate. Players are stronger and more explosive than ever but more injuries as the result. Like driving a car the more you drive the likely you are to get into an accident.

Though besides the games it almost feels like the NBA nailed it with 12 minutes a quarter, seems to be the perfect amount of time to satisfying viewership and minutes a player can withstand for peak performance.

The ABA when it came onto the scene in 1967 followed the NBA’s, four 12 minute quarters. Imagery is the best form of flattery. It is quite interesting that they didn’t go a different route to separate themself from the competition. They did have the three-point line which the NBA did not which drew crowds to the ABA because of it.

Many people often refer to a basketball quarter as a period. But most basketball fans refer to them as quarters because it’s obvious. It’s like a Math problem involving fractions, if we take a game and it is broken down into four quarters, that’s a whole. If it is half time during the then 2/4 of the game is done has been played or one half.

The Ratio of Fouls to Minutes

In any basketball league except the NBA, you will find that if a player commits 5 fouls then he/she is fouled out and will have to sit the remainder of the game on the bench unable to return.

If you divide 5 into 40 minutes of basketball game time. A player will have a foul to give for every 8 minutes of game time. FIBA, NCAA, and even some high school basketball States in the U.S.A. run on 10 minutes a quarter or 20-minute halves, totaling 40 minutes of game time. The exception of this ratio is that most high school may run 8 minute quarters.

The NBA rules for fouls are if a player commits 6 fouls they will be fouled out and have to sit the remainder of the game. If you divide 6 into 48 minutes you also get one foul for every 8 minutes of play. This is why the NBA upped their foul count to 6 instead of 5 or else you would have a lot more players fouling out quite quickly.

Is the NBA the only league with 12 minute quarters?

The NBA and the WNBA are the only leagues that govern four 12 minute quarters. Leagues like high school and FIBA, have four quarters but are only 10 minutes each. It does seem as if FIBA will one day follow suit with the NBA. The Olympics and World Cup of Basketball use FIBA rules and their quarters are still 10 minutes during international play.

One thing to keep in mind is that if the NBA did go to 10 minutes a game the league would suffer a dramatic drop in scoring. We’re talking 8 extra minutes of less action, that’s almost a whole quarter.

You would also see much fewer players playing on the court. Coaches could easily get away with playing 7 to 8 players a game with their superstars playing practically the whole game. Many more games would be close in nature also. The reverse would be true in Europe or where they use FIBA rules.

How long are breaks between quarters?

NBA

Breaks between quarters 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 are 130 seconds of rest or just over 2 minutes, this also includes between the 4th quarter and overtime. Halftime in the NBA is 15 minutes.

FIBA

Breaks between quarters 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 are 120 seconds of rest or 2 minutes, this also includes between the 4th quarter and overtime. Halftime in FIBA is 15 minutes.

NCAA

The NCAA takes a 15-minute break in between halves. There are no rests between quarters because there are none.

Why are NBA games four quarters of twelve minutes instead of fifteen, like in the NFL?

The NFL runs fifteen-minute quarters but their games take a total of 3 hours. They have a different set of players on offense and defense which allows the players to play this long. If players were playing both side of the field, this would be a different story and make for a shorter game. 

Because the NFL plays once a week they can get away with this format, and it works quite well for the league. If the NBA switched to this format the game would run the same length of three hours and would make for to long a game for basketball. Even when a NBA game goes into overtime the total time of the game still does not reach 3 hours.

Quarter in basketball - how long does it last, what is it, how many quarters in basketball

Danila Chezhin

The time of a basketball game is divided into segments - quarters. This format in many ways makes basketball so popular all over the world. In this article, we will talk about how many quarters there are in basketball, what quarters are, and how the "quarter" division affects the game as a whole.

What is a basketball quarter?

Almost all sports divide the total playing time into segments. Such a meeting arrangement makes games more interesting and dramatic, allows athletes to relax, and coaches to influence the course of the match. A quarter is part of a basketball match, like a period in hockey, a set in tennis, or a half in football. All these are segments that are formed in accordance with the rules of a particular sports discipline.

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How long is a quarter in basketball

The length of the basketball quarter in the world's leading organizations varies. In European basketball, according to the rules set by FIBA, the basketball federation, a quarter lasts 10 minutes. The NBA, the major basketball league in North America, has a time limit of 12 minutes.

It is important to understand that basketball uses time. That is, when the game process on the court stops due to a violation or substitutions, the time counter also turns off. Therefore, one quarter can go more than half an hour if there are enough stops. The stopwatch starts as soon as the ball is in play - from out of bounds, after a missed free throw or after a kick-off throw.

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How many quarters are there in basketball

The word quarter itself means one fourth of the whole. It is clear that there are four quarters in basketball. These are segments equal to each other, within which the same rules apply. For example, in European basketball there is a limit of 5 team fouls per quarter. In any of the segments, the team has the right to break the rules 5 times, even in the first, even in the second, even in the fourth.

The exception is matches that ended with an equal score. But since there are traditionally no draws in basketball, the meeting continues in an additional round - overtime. If the overtime ended with an equal score, another one is assigned. And so on - until the end. Overtime duration is 5 minutes. Both in European and American competitions.

It is also worth noting here that the "quarter" format did not appear in basketball immediately, and even now it is not used everywhere. Back in the late 1990s in Europe, the club and national teams played two halves of twenty minutes. This division is still used in overseas student basketball - NCAA.

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Breaks between quarters

There are pauses between game segments in basketball. Moreover, the break between the first and second quarters, as well as between the third and fourth is minimal - 2 minutes. The pause between the second and third quarters is called the big break. Its duration is 15 minutes. The start of the big break is the official end of the first half of the game. The end of the long break is the start of the second half.

A break between quarters in basketball is not the only stoppage in a game. There are others - in the course of the quarters. They are called timeouts. Each team has the right to stop the game several times during the meeting. Mostly timeouts are used by coaches to make adjustments to tactics and make changes to lineups. In the NBA, each team has a limit of 7 timeouts per game. In Europe - 5.

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How long is a quarter in basketball (NBA, FIBA). Number of halves in a game

Home / All sports / How long is a quarter in basketball (NBA, FIBA). Number of halves in the game

12/22/2018 All sports Leave a comment 105,956 Views

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    It so happened that some rules of playing basketball in Europe and North America differ, and this primarily concerns the duration of periods. The number of quarters in FIBA ​​and NBA matches is the same, however, Americans, for whom basketball is considered one of the most popular sports, like to enjoy this wonderful game longer, therefore, in their rules, they increased the duration of each half by two minutes (compared to the International Federation of basketball)

    Interesting fact: In the early days of basketball there were only 13 rules, now there are more than 200.

    How many periods are there in a basketball game?

    A basketball game consists of 4 quarters (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) , this applies to both NBA and FIBA. Conventionally, the 1st and 2nd periods are the first half of the match, and the 3rd and 4th are the second. Between each quarter there is a two-minute break, but between the second and third half, the duration of the break is as much as 15 minutes.

    According to the officially established rules, there can be no draw in basketball. If after 4 periods the score is equal, another quarter is played lasting 5 minutes. The number of extra periods is not limited, there may be several such five-minute periods until the winning team is determined.

    How long is a quarter in basketball (NBA and FIBA)?

    In Europe, tournaments held under the auspices of FIBA, the duration of each game is 40 minutes, that is, each quarter lasts 10 minutes .

    In the United States of America, where the ruling organization in basketball is the NBA, the duration of the match is 48 minutes, that is, the time of each period is not 10, but 12 minutes. It turns out that in the USA, due to these two minutes added to each quarter, advertisers have more time to show their products to the viewer (the longer the viewer is at the TV screens, the more money the clubs earn on advertising). That is why the NBA is the richest and most popular basketball league on the planet.

    Many people are also interested in how long a basketball game lasts in Europe and the USA. In general, taking into account the duration of all quarters, half-time intervals and dead ball situations (eg fouls, free throws and other stoppages), the total duration of the match is 2-3 hours.

    The average regular season game in the NBA is 137 minutes.

    The duration of basketball matches in the Olympic Games and competitions under the auspices of FIBA ​​is shorter than in US tournaments, since the same match duration is 8 minutes shorter. FIBA also has fewer timeouts. In the NBA, both teams get 14 timeouts per game for two, with 2 timeouts in each period being mandatory (so-called television timeouts). FIBA and the Olympic Games have 5 timeouts, and teams may not necessarily use them.

    Do you know how long the longest basketball game lasted?

    The longest basketball game was recorded in 2006 in the United States of America. The duel was held specifically to set a record, the student teams "North Carolina" and "Duke" played each other for more than 58 hours in a row, the victory was won by "Duke" with a score of 3688:3444. All proceeds from ticket sales went to charity.

    Conclusion

    Some NBA and FIBA ​​basketball rules differ.


    Learn more