The Longest NBA Games in History

These are the 10 longest NBA games in history. From triple-overtime thrillers to quadruple-OT marathons, these are the games that took the longest to decide.

The longest games in NBA history

From head-to-head battles that went down to the final seconds to playoff-elimination games that turned into double-overtime thrillers, there have been some NBA Games that have stretched on for what seems like forever.

The longest game in NBA history was played on January 6, 1951, between the Indianapolis Olympians and Rochester Royals. The game went into a seventh overtime, with the Olympians finally coming out on top by a score of 176-166. That’s right — 176 points!

Interestingly enough, there have been two other games that have gone into six overtimes. The first was between the Sheboygan Redskins and the Indianapolis Kautskys on January 20, 1950. The Redskins won by a score of 111-105. The second six-overtime game was between the Syracuse Nationals and Anderson Packers on November 24, 1951. Syracuse won by a score of75-73.

The fifth overtime session in that game matched the then-record for most Overtime periods played in an NBA game

The longest Playoff Games in NBA history

The longest Playoff Game in NBA history happened on May 5, 2009, when the Boston Celtics played the Orlando Magic The game lasted for 155 minutes and was finally won by the Celtics with a score of 128-129. The second longest playoff game was on May 30, 1976, when the Portland Trail Blazers played the Boston Celtics That game lasted for 152 minutes and was also won by the Celtics, with a score of 113-105.

The longest regular season games in NBA history

The longest regular season game in NBA history was played on January 6, 1951, between the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals, lasting six overtimes for a total of 78 minutes of playing time The game was eventually won by Rochester, who were led by guard Bob Davies with 19 points.

The second-longest regular season game in NBA history was played on November 9, 1969, between the San Diego Rockets and the Milwaukee Bucks lasting five overtimes for a total of 75 minutes of playing time. The game was eventually won by Milwaukee, who were led by center Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar) with 46 points.

In both of these games, the teams played an extra period of five minutes after each regulation overtime period However, in recent years the NBA has changed its overtime rules such that each overtime period consists of only four minutes. As a result, the longest NBA games in history that have been played under the current overtime rules are three games:

The first game was played on December 13, 2006, between the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks The second game was played on January 1, 2012, between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks And the third game was played on November 26, 2014, between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics All three games went to double overtime (for a total of eight minutes of extra playing time), and all three games were won by Brooklyn.

The longest overtime games in NBA history

In the history of the NBA, there have been several instances where a game has gone into overtime – and in some cases, multiple overtimes. Here are some of the longest games in NBA history based on total playing time:

1. On December 21, 1988, the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls played for five overtime periods, for a total playing time of 63 minutes and 59 seconds. The Pistons eventually won the game 186-184.

2. On November 9, 2000, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks played for four overtime periods, for a total playing time of 58 minutes and 47 seconds. The Mavericks eventually won the game 133-132.

3. On January 1, 1951, the Rochester Royals and the Indianapolis Olympians played for three overtime periods, for a total playing time of 53 minutes and14 seconds. The Royals eventually won the game 75-73.

4. On December 18, 1953, the Syracuse Nationals and the Boston Celtics played for three overtime periods, for a total playing time of 53 minutes and 5 seconds. The Nationals eventually won the game 103-102.

The longest games by minutes played in NBA history

The longest games by minutes played in NBA history have all been played in the post-season. The longest game was played on May 5, 2009, when the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic in game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The game went to five overtimes and lasted a total of 146 minutes.

The second longest game was played on June 7, 1963, when the Syracuse Nationals defeated the Boston Celtics in game one of the Eastern Division Finals. The game went to four overtimes and lasted a total of 133 minutes.

The third longest game was played on May 31, 1951, when the Rochester Royals defeated the New York Knicks in game five of the Eastern Division Finals. The game went to three overtimes and lasted a total of 128 minutes.

The longest games by number of overtime periods in NBA history

While most NBA Games are decided in regulation time, there are the occasional marathon games that need one or more overtime periods to declare a winner. As of the 2019-20 season the record for the longest game in NBA history is an epic battle between the Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks that lasted five overtime periods and a total of Playtime: 78 minutes (78:00). Here are the top ten longest games by number of OTs in NBA history

The longest games by Number of players used in NBA history

Since the 1950s, the NBA has seen its fair share of incredibly long games. From the infamous six-overtime thriller between the Syracuse Nationals and Anderson Packers in 1951 to the more recent five-overtime game between the Trail Blazers and Nuggets in regulation in 2021, there have been some truly wild marathon matchups over the years.

But which games have been the longest when it comes to the number of players used? Surprisingly, there have been a handful of games that have seen both teams use all 20 of their available players, with a few going even longer than that.

Here are the five longest games by number of players used in NBA History

1. Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics – Dec. 21, 1981
2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls – Apr. 15, 1982
3. Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets – Jan. 9, 1987
4. Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers – Nov. 27, 1997
5. Indiana Pacers vs. Detroit Pistons – Apr. 17, 2006

The longest games by number of fouls called in NBA history

The following is a list of the longest games by number of fouls called in NBA history

-Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns lasted for 3 hours and 46 minutes and featured 97 fouls.
-Game 4 of the 1980 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers lasted for 3 hours and 41 minutes and featured 95 fouls.
-Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics lasted for 3 hours and 38 minutes and featured 94 fouls.

The longest games by number of Free throws attempted in NBA history

The longest games by number of Free throws attempted in NBA history were played on January 8, 2006, and February 21, 1953. Both games went into double overtime, with the 2006 game going three overtimes. A total of 113 free throws were attempted in the 2006 game, while 111 were attempted in the 1953 game.

The longest games by number of lead changes in NBA history

While the average NBA game lasts around 48 minutes, some games stretch much longer into overtime. In fact, the longest NBA Game by number of lead changes lasted a whopping 58 minutes with 12 lead changes.

The following is a list of the longest NBA games by number of lead changes in history:

1. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets (58 minutes, 12 lead changes) – December 9, 2006
2. Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte Hornets (57 minutes, 11 lead changes) – January 8, 2020
3. Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons (56 minutes, 10 lead changes) – December 13, 2008
4. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers (55 minutes, 10 lead changes) – January 2, 2011
5. New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers (54 minutes, 9 lead changes) – November 19, 2013