How Long is an NBA Game?
Most NBA games last between two and two and a half hours. But that’s not the exact number for all leagues or groups. As we also said above, the time of a basketball game will change from league to league. Each period in the National Basketball Association (NBA) will last 12 minutes. The fourth-quarter game will have up to 48 minutes of play time. In Long is an NBA Game, the extra time lasts for 5 minutes.
Here’s what you need to know about how long an NBA game lasts.
Table of Contents
How long are NBA games in minutes?
The NBA sets the rules for how each basketball game is played. Each quarter lasts 12 minutes, for a total of 48 minutes.But that time does not include the 15-minute halftime and the constant breaks in the game for fouls, injuries, and free throws.
We can’t forget that each team has up to seven timeouts per game, with four of them being required. Each team has to take a full timeout every quarter, and they can’t use more than three timeouts in the fourth quarter.
Since the 2017-18 season, NBA timeouts have been 75 seconds long. This is a change from the past, when there were short and long timeouts.
In short, the average length of an NBA game is 2.5 hours, but they can go on for up to three hours, especially if they go into overtime.
How Long is a WNBA Game?
A WNBA game is made up of four ten-minute quarters. Between the second and third periods, there is a 15-minute break for halftime. Most WNBA games take about two hours to finish. The longest WNBA game ever played was in 2002. It went into three overtime periods and took just under three hours to finish.
How Long do Basketball Games Last?
WNBA games are split into two halves of 20 minutes each, for a total of 40 minutes of play.FIBA games last 40 minutes, with five minutes of overtime. Each quarter lasts 10 minutes, for a total of 40 minutes (if needed).
Men’s NCAA games last for 40 minutes, which are split into two 20-minute halves. Women’s games, on the other hand, are split into four 10-minute quarters.
How long are Basketball Games in FIBA?
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) says that there will be four quarters in a game. How long is a basketball quarter in the FIBA? The basketball game will be 40 minutes long. Each quarter will be 10 minutes long. The quarters in FIBA games are shorter than those in the NBA.
There are also more rules about how long you can rest between quarters. So, how long is a basketball “quarter”?
- 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.
When both teams have played all four quarters and still can’t decide who won, the game goes into overtime. During the first extra time, the team that scores more goals wins. This is the end of the game.
On the other hand, if the winner isn’t decided after the first overtime, both teams will keep playing in the next overtime. FIBA games will start at halftime when the game clock goes off to signal the end of the half.
Read more: How Many Acres is A Football Field?
How long are Basketball Games
Basketball games have different lengths, which are set by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and other governing bodies. Here is a list of the different lengths of basketball games in different leagues:
1. NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) games last for a total of 48 minutes, which is made up of four 12 minute quarters. During those 48 minutes, however, the game clock stops for different reasons, such as fouls, halftime, and time-outs. Because of this, a typical NBA game during the regular season can last between two and two and a half hours, while games in the playoffs and finals can last up to three hours. The Rochester Royals and the Indianapolis Olympians played the longest NBA game ever on January 6, 1951, in Rochester, New York. It lasted 78 minutes and had six overtimes. With a score of 75–73, the Olympians finally won the game.
2. WNBA
Games in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) last for a total of forty minutes, which is made up of two 20-minute halves. Again, stoppages of the clock make each game last longer, and regular-season games can last up to two and a half hours. On June 8, 2002, the Orlando Miracle and the Cleveland Rockers played the longest game in the history of the WNBA. The Miracle won the game, 103–99, after two hours and fifty-seven minutes of play and three overtime periods.
3. NCAA
College basketball games are forty minutes long. They are run by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and other groups. But men’s college games have two 20-minute halves, while women’s college games have four 10-minute quarters. In 1981, the NCAA played the game with the most points. The game between the University of Cincinnati and Bradley University lasted 75 minutes and went into seven overtimes.
4. Senior year
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) says that a high school basketball game lasts 32 minutes and a youth basketball game lasts 32 minutes. Each game is split into four eight-minute quarters. A high school basketball game takes about 90 minutes to play in real-time.
5. College
College basketball games in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) are split into two 20-minute halves. There is a 15-minute break between the first and second halves. Most games at the college level take about two hours to finish.
How long a basketball game lasts depends on a number of things.
1. Free throws, fouls, and injuries
The game clock stops when there are fouls, injuries, balls that go out of bounds, and free throws. The game clock stops until a throw-in or jump ball puts the ball back in play. Find out how fouls are called in basketball.
2. Halftime
Halftime adds fifteen minutes to the length of NBA, WNBA, and college basketball games. The game can’t go on longer than halftime, which may already seem long to people watching on TV because of the commercials that play during halftime.
3. Overtime
The length of a basketball game can also be changed by overtime (OT). There is no limit on how many overtime periods a team can play in an NBA game. In the NBA, WNBA, and FIBA, each overtime period is five minutes long, and each team gets a few extra time-outs for every overtime period played. College basketball games for both men and women can have as many overtime periods as they want.
4. Time to shoot
The shot clock is a timer that tells a basketball team how long it can have the ball before taking a shot. If the shot clock runs out before a team tries to make a field goal, they lose the ball. In 1954, the NBA started using a 24-second shot clock, while the FIBA, the WNBA, and college basketball all used 30-second clocks. But in 2000 and 2006, FIBA and the WNBA switched to the twenty-four-second clock.
5. Taking breaks
If an NBA or WNBA team uses all of its time-outs in one game, they can add up to nine minutes to the length of the game. But each team can only take one full time-out per quarter, and they can’t use more than three time-outs in the fourth quarter. If there are two or more time-outs left in the fourth quarter, the 75-second time-out is cut to 20 seconds. Time-outs don’t add much time to high school and college games.
Why Do NBA Games Last So Long?
On paper, the game only lasts 48 minutes, so you might b e wondering why you’re still watching after a few mi nutes.There are a few reasons why the game time is longer.All of these things can change, which means that they may have an effect on some games but not at all on others.Because of this, it’s hard to say how long a particular game will last.
Read more: How Many Quarters in Basketball?
Conclusion
In conclusion, a professional men’s basketball game lasts about 2.5 hours. Games have four 12-minute periods and a 15-minute break between the second and third periods. Because of subs, commercial breaks, free throws, and timeouts, games take longer to finish.
NBA games take longer to finish than WNBA games, Olympic games, NCAA games, and High School basketball games. Each of these league’s game clocks takes less time to run, so they take less time to finish. A high school basketball game can take up to an hour and a half to finish if the teams don’t use the mercy rule.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long do Basketball Games last for Youth Leagues?
Most games for young kids last about an hour. Most games in youth leagues are split into two parts. The average length of each half of a youth game is 20 minutes.
How long is a Women’s Game in College Basketball?
Most games for women last for two hours. Each of the four 10-minute quarters is called a “quarter.”
How can I watch NBA live on my phone?
The official NBA app keeps you up-to-date with the latest scores, highlight videos, and breaking news alerts. You can sign up for the NBA League Pass and League Pass Premium tiers of the app to watch live regular-season games from outside your market.
Where can I watch NBA live?
The 2021–22 NBA season will be shown on TV and can be watched online. If you want to watch the NBA on TV, games that are broadcast nationally can be seen on ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.
Who has the most national TV games NBA?
The 2022 NBA champions, Golden State, have 30 games on national TV, Los Angeles has 27, and Boston is third with 25. Each team has 12 games on NBA TV. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, with 23 and 22 respectively, round out the top five.
What app can I watch NBA games for free?
NBA Live Stream is the best and free app to watch live NBA games in ultra HD for the whole season. NBA live Stream Free also lets you watch all NBA live games and highlights for free with just a few clicks. The app lets you watch live NBA games on your phone or tablet anywhere, at any time.
