How Many Games Are In an NBA Season?

An NBA season consists of 82 games. However, if a team makes the playoffs, they could play up to 28 additional games.

82 Games in an NBA Season

In an NBA season, each team plays 82 regular season games. 41 of those games are played at home, and 41 are played away. There are also playoff games, which teams play if they qualify. The number of playoff games varies depending on how far a team goes in the playoffs.

Why the NBA Season is 82 Games

The decision to make the NBA an 82-game regular season was made in 1967, when the league increased the size of the playoffs from four to eight teams and also expanded from nine to 10 teams. The regular season was then extended from 76 games to 82. The move was made in order to provide each team with 36 home games, something that would be important for generating revenue.

The NBA regular season is currently the longest of any of the major professional sports leagues in North America, including the NHL, MLB, and NFL. Each team plays 82 games over a span of about six months, from October to April. There are also a number of break days built into the schedule, including Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

What Happens if There’s a Tie in the NBA Season

If two or more teams end the regular season with the same record, a tiebreaker system is used to determine which team will obtain the higher seeding in the playoffs. TheNBA’s tiebreaker system is as follows:
* If two teams are tied, head-to-head competition is the first tiebreaker. If the teams split their season series, for example, each winning one game at home and one on the road, then the next tiebreaker would be division record if both of them are in the same division. If they’re not in the same division, it would be conference record. It’s worth noting that if three or more teams are involved in a tie, those teams’ head-to-head records are compared only against each other and not against all other tied teams.
* If head-to-head competition doesn’t break the tie, then division record is used if applicable. Conference record is used if two or more non-divisional teams are tied or if two or more divisional teams from different divisions are tied.
* If still tied after examining head-to-head and division/conference records, then several different measures are employed:
* Comparisons are made between each team’s respective records in games against playoff teams (including ties) just below them in the standings (i.e., comparing 2nd place’s 2–3 record against 3rd place’s 1–4 record), until one team gains an advantage. This step is omitted if only two playoff spots need to be determined (for example: when there can only be either seeds #7 and #8; or just #8).
* If there is a difference in winning percentage against playoff teams among all of the tied clubs, then that club which has the best winning percentage shall be awarded such seed as it pertains to its position — for example: if Charlotte and Miami finish with identical 42–40 records and both go 10–8 against playoff opponents but Charlotte’s 10–8 mark gives it a .556 winning percentage while Miami’s gives it only .500, then Charlotte shall receive seed #6 and Miami shall receive seed #7; had both gone 11–7 instead for identical .611 percentages [or any combination where Charlotte has a higher winning percentage], then Charlotte would have been seeded ahead of Miami regardless).
* The above process is repeated until all ties among all of those involved have been resolved (which cannot happen until all non-playoff seeds have been determined). Sometimes this can lead to situations where multiple “playoff” places are up for grabs when certain games on the final day of the season have consequences involving placements other than merely qualifying or not qualifying for postseason play — most notably games involving seeding between non-playoff teams involving combinations of four or more tied clubs where there can theoretically be multiple different outcomes depending on various different scenarios aside from simple win/loss results; these often occur during simultaneous multiway battles for lower seeds near season’s end (see also ticket scalping).

How the NBA Season is Structured

The NBA regular season is 82 games long, and it usually starts in late October and ends in mid-April. Each team plays 81 games, 40 of which are at home and 41 are on the road. The other game is played at a neutral site.

There are four main ways to make the playoffs: winning your division, winning your conference, having the best record in your conference, or having the best record in the league. The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament, meaning that once a team loses, they’re out. The playoffs typically start in mid-April and end in late June.

How the NBA Season Ends

After 82 games, theNBA season culminates with the NBA playoffs. The playoffs begin in April, and the Finals end in early June. In a typical season, each team plays 82 games: 41 at home and 41 on the road.