How Long Do NBA Basketball Games Last?
Contents
The average NBA game lasts around two and a half hours. However, the actual time that the ball is in play is only around 48 minutes.
The other 30 minutes or so are filled with timeouts, foul shots, TV breaks, and other stoppages.
Introduction
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the premier professional basketball league in North America. It is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada), and each team plays 82 games in the regular season. The regular season runs from October to April, and the playoffs run from April to June.
The Length of an NBA Game
The average NBA game lasts around two and a half hours, but there is quite a bit of variation. The shortest game on record lasted only 49 minutes, while the longest went to three overtimes and lasted a whopping 63 minutes. So, how long does an NBA game actually last?
The Length of an NBA Game by Quarter
The length of an NBA game is 48 minutes, divided into four 12-minute quarters. There is a mandatory halftime break after the second quarter. If the game is tied at the end of regulation time, there will be a five-minute overtime period. If the game is still tied at the end of overtime, the game will end in a tie.
The Length of an NBA Game by Half
The game of basketball has four quarters, each twelve minutes long. If the game is tied at the end of four quarters, overtime periods of five minutes each are played until a winner is declared. In the NBA, a typical game lasts about two and a half hours, but games can run longer if there are overtime periods.
The Length of an NBA Game by Overtime
The average NBA game without overtime is about two and a half hours long, but the length of the game can vary depending on how many overtime periods are played. The longest NBA game on record went into five overtime periods and lasted nearly four hours. In general, the more overtime periods that are played, the longer the game will last.
The Length of an NBA Game by Overtime Period
how long are NBA basketball games, including by period of overtime?
The average NBA game lasts about 2 ½ hours, but if there is overtime it can add an additional 15-20 minutes to the game. Below is a breakdown of the average length of an NBA game by period of overtime.
-1st Overtime: 5 minutes
-2nd Overtime: 6 minutes
-3rd Overtime: 7 minutes
-4th Overtime: 8 minutes
The Length of an NBA Game by Season
The length of an NBA game has varied throughout the years, with the average game time ranging from about two hours to just over three hours. The longest NBA game on record was played in 2015, lasting an impressive five hours and thirty-three minutes. So, how long does an NBA game last on average?
The Length of an NBA Game by Season and by Month
The regulation time for an NBA game is 48 minutes, divided into four 12-minute quarters. However, the actual length of an NBA game varies depending on the season and the month.
NBA games are longest in the regular season, when each team plays 82 games. These games typically last between 2 and 3 hours. During the playoffs, when each team plays fewer games, the games are shorter, typically lasting between 2 and 2.5 hours.
The shortest NBA games are during the month of November, when teams play an average of only 2 hours and 8 minutes per game. The longest NBA games are during the month of January, when teams play an average of 2 hours and 18 minutes per game.
Conclusion
The average NBA game lasts around two and a half hours, but can range from two hours to three hours. The length of an NBA game depends on several factors, such as the number of time-outs each team takes and the number of fouls called. Generally, the more time-outs and fouls there are, the longer the game will last.
