Bram Welch has been writing about sports betting and iGaming for over five years now, starting as a freelancer before joining our team. Previously he worked teaching English as a foreign language and as a journalist for the UK's largest regional newspaper.
All posts by Bram Welch
Writer and editor with over 15 years of experience in the iGaming industry, having worked for TeamTalk, ClubCall, Planet Sport and several Tier 1 and Tier 2 sportsbooks. Passionate Middlesbrough FC supporter.
All posts by Andrew MorganHow long are NBA games? There are officially 48 minutes of playing time. However, the average game length can be over two and a half hours from start to finish.
There are a few reasons why a game might go on so long. These include timeouts, halftime breaks, potential overtime periods, and the possibility of injuries. All of these factors can lengthen basketball games.
How Long Do NBA Games Last Including Breaks?
A modern-day NBA game is a fast-paced affair with the action occurring from one end of the court to the other. If you go as a spectator to an NBA game, you will enjoy a fast and exciting sport, but how much action will you see?
How Long is an NBA Game?
The official length of an NBA match is 48 minutes. However, the average NBA game length is around two and a half hours from start to finish. This is due to timeouts, stoppages, halftime and quarter breaks, and reviews of refereeing decisions. Note, therefore, that 48 minutes means the actual playing time within these two and a half hours.
How Long are NBA Quarters?
NBA quarters are 12 minutes long. There are four, making up the 48 minutes of an NBA game. The quarters in the NBA have been 12 minutes long since its inception in the 1940s. European and WNBA matches tend to have 10-minute quarters.
NBA Quarter Breaks
The breaks between the first and second quarters, and the third and fourth quarters, are two and a half minutes (150 seconds) long. If the game is nationally broadcast, the break will be three and a half minutes (210 seconds) long. The break between the second and third quarters is longer at 15 minutes long.
How Long is NBA Halftime?
The halftime break of an NBA game should be 15 minutes long. However, this is not exact and there are a few things that might cause the teams to come out later than expected. Perhaps events in the first half have caused a longer break or the coach is talking to the team.
How Long is NBA Overtime?
An overtime period only occurs if the two teams are still level after 48 minutes of playtime. In this case, an additional five minutes are played. If the score is still level after that, then another five minutes are played. This goes on until there is a winner after a five-minute overtime period.
Other Factors That Influence the Length of NBA Games
A basketball match will only take 48 minutes if both teams are constantly playing for the full 48 minutes. However, this is not going to happen for several reasons. Here are the main reasons why an NBA game typically lasts longer.
Timeouts
Jan 18, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins calls a timeout during the second half against the Baylor Bears at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports Timeouts are employed by coaches and players so they can regroup, discuss tactics, and strategize. Each team gets seven timeouts in the match, with each being 75 seconds long.
Commercials
Television channels broadcast NBA matches so they can sell commercial space for advertisements that will run during the game. As a result, NBA matches have to take media timeouts to make space for commercials. There are around three minutes allowed for each commercial break.
Free Throws and Fouls
If a team commits too many fouls in a particular period, the opposition will get the chance to take two free throws. The clock does not carry on running during free throws so these will delay time.
If a player commits six fouls throughout a game, they are removed and that player’s team has 30 seconds to replace him. This too will take up some time.
There is also the possibility that the referee will review a decision, leading to further delay too.
Injuries
Play will sometimes be stopped so a team can tend to a player’s injury. Dealing with these stoppages will also delay the end time of an NBA game and thus affect how long an NBA game lasts.
How Long Are NBA Games In Minutes?
An NBA match consists of 48 minutes of playing time. This is broken up into four quarters, each 12 minutes in length.
The breaks between the first and second quarters, as well as the third and fourth quarters, are at least 150 seconds long. There is also a halftime break of 15 minutes duration. This accounts for an additional 20 minutes, taking the length of a game beyond one hour.
If both teams use all seven of their timeouts at 75 seconds long then this accounts for another 17.5 minutes. This takes the average NBA game length to almost an hour and a half. This is before any other potential stoppages are considered.
All of this is true for regular season NBA games and playoff games in the National Basketball Association. Other basketball competitions vary.
NBA Game Duration vs Other Sports
Popular US sports matches tend to run for a similar duration of time. This is despite the different period lengths that make up the matches.
An NHL match is made up of three periods of 20 minutes each. This means an NHL game features at least an hour of playing time. The intermissions between the periods last for 15 minutes and 30 seconds (or 17 minutes for nationally televised games). Along with overtime, fouls, injuries, and other stoppages, an NHL game can take around two to three hours to complete.
MLB games do not have a set time, but the average baseball match lasts for around two hours and 45 minutes. Baseball is broken down into innings which have no determined length.
NFL matches comprise four 15-minute quarters, which total an hour of playing time. However, NFL matches often last over three hours and can even go over four hours. The clock in an NFL match stops frequently for new downs, flags on the field, and the changing over of offensive and defensive teams.
Conclusion
The average duration of an NBA match is around two and a half hours. In that time, there are 48 minutes of actual game time.
NBA teams can use seven timeouts each, which last 75 seconds. Therefore, these can add up to 17.5 minutes to the game.
The rest of the added time is made up of quarter breaks, halftime breaks, and room for commercials. Other unforeseen game stoppages can also add to the length. Injuries, fouls, and free throws as a result of fouls all stop the game clock, adding to the time a game takes to play out.
NBA Game Length FAQs
How many minutes are in a quarter in NBA?
How long is a basketball game?
How long is NBA halftime?
How many timeouts are allowed in the NBA?
What was the longest NBA game in history?
How does NBA game length compare with college basketball?
Expert Guides
More
