Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. NBA, the most prominent basketball league in the world, had more than 1 billion unique viewers.
Fans want to know how much time they should schedule for watching a game.
NBA basketball games are 48 minutes, divided into 4 quarters with 12 minutes each quarter and 15 minutes break during halftime. With delays on game progression like foul calls, free throws, and time-outs, expect the game to last around 2.5 hours.
WNBA and NCAA college basketball games are 40 minutes in-game time and last about 2 hours. High basketball school games are 32 minutes, expect to last around 1.5 hours.
| League | Game | Segment | Minutes | Halftime | Overtime | Season |
| NBA | 48 min | 4 Quarters | 12 min/quarter | 15 min | 5 min | 25-35 Games |
| WNBA | 40 min | 2 Halves | 20 min/half | 15 min | 5 min | 36 Games |
| College (Men) | 40 min | 2 Halves | 20 min/half | 15 min | 5 min | 25-35 Games |
| College (Women) | 40 min | 4 Quarters | 10 min/quarter | 15 min | 5 min | 25-35 Games |
| High School | 32 min | 4 Quarters | 8 min/quarter | 10-15 min | 4 min | 82 Games |
Let’s take a look at commonly asked questions from new fans such as when the NBA season starts and finishes and how many games are there in a season.
By the end of this article, you will be able to plan your game-watching schedule effectively and to talk about basketball like a long time fan.
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NBA Games Regulation
The regulation duration of an NBA game itself is 48 minutes. Each NBA game is divided into 4 quarters of 12 minutes each. NBA game halftime is 15 minutes, and quarter break time is around 2 minutes.
If at the end of the 4th quarter the game is tied, there will be overtime that lasts 5 minutes. If at the end of the 1st overtime the game is still tied, there will be a 2nd overtime that once again lasts 5 minutes. This will keep going until a winner is decided.
So in theory there is no limit to how long an NBA game can last. It could keep going with overtime after overtime. In practice though, overtimes are rare. Multiple overtimes are extremely rare.
NBA regular seasons start in October and end in April. NBA Playoffs start in April and end in early June. NBA Finals start in late May and end in early June.
Both NCAA college men’s and women’s basketball regular seasons start in November and end in March. After regular seasons, the NCAA tournaments start in March and end in April.
There are total of 82 games in an NBA season. Each team in NBA plays a total of 82 games in the regular season.
16 NBA teams each year make the playoffs. For these teams, they will keep on playing until they are eliminated or until they win the championship.
NBA Playoffs consist of 4 rounds: First Round, Conference Semifinals, Conference Finals, NBA Finals. Each round has a best-of-7 format.
So the maximum number of games an NBA team can play in a season is 110 games (82 regular season games + 7 First Round games + 7 Conference Semifinal games + 7 Conference Final games + 7 Final games).
The longest NBA game ever was 78 minutes in-game time and included 6 overtimes. That only happened once in NBA history and it happened back in 1951.
The longest NCAA college basketball game lasted 75 minutes in-game time and included 7 overtimes.
That only happened once in NCAA history and it happened in 1981 in a game between the University of Cincinnati and Bradley University.
How Long in Advance to Arrive at NBA Games
Going to an NBA game in person is something else. There is nothing like it. The atmosphere and the energy is insane. To make the most of your experience at an NBA game in person, try to get to the game a bit early.
Verdict: Getting to the stadium 45 minutes to 1 hour before tip-off is a good plan.
Most NBA stadiums open their doors 1 ½ hour to 2 hours before tip-off. So don’t get there earlier than that. On the other hand, don’t be too late if you want to get the full experience.
Once you get to the stadium you need time to find parking. Then you have to wait in line to go through security. Then you have to find your seat. And you probably want to go to the concession stands to get a drink and some food. All that takes time.
Players will come out to the court to warm up and shoot around about 20 minutes before tip-off. During that time you can go all the way to the first row of the regular seats (regular seats, not floor seats) to watch them up close and maybe even get autographs.
Tip: if you need to get home early, you might want to leave the stadium before the game ends if it is a blowout game. That way you can beat the crowd. For example, if one team is up by 15 points with 1 minute left in the game then you might not want to wait around for the final whistle.
How Long are NBA Games in Real Time?
While the game time (without overtime) of an NBA game is 48 minutes, the actual duration (wall clock time) of an NBA game is much longer. Why? First, there are many timeouts – each team is given 6 total timeouts.
There are also fouls and free throw shootings that stop the game clock. And then there are the breaks after each quarter. After the 1st and 3rd quarters, there are breaks each lasting a few minutes. After the 2nd quarter, there is a longer halftime break that lasts 15 minutes.
Altogether, these free throw shootings, timeouts, and breaks add substantial time to an NBA game. Games in the Playoffs are longer because there are more commercials. Games in the Finals are the longest because they have the most commercials. On average:
- Regular Season: 2 and a half hours
- Playoffs: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Finals: 3 hours
NCAA Basketball Games Duration
The regulation duration of an NCAA basketball game is 40 minutes.
For NCAA men’s college basketball games, each game is divided into 2 halves of 20 minutes each.
For NCAA women’s college basketball games, each game is divided into 4 quarters of 10 minutes each.
For men’s college basketball games, there is a 15 minutes halftime break between the 1st and 2nd halves.
For women’s college basketball games, there is a 15 minutes halftime break between the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
For both men’s and women’s college basketball games, overtimes are 5 minutes each. There are no limits to how many overtimes can happen.
NCAA college basketball games from start to finish last about 2 hours on TV. The regulation game time is 40 minutes. Halftime is 15 minutes. And then there are many timeouts, fouls, and free throw shootings. All that adds up to about 2 hours in total.
WNBA Basketball Games Duration
WNBA games from start to finish last 2 hours on TV. The regulation duration of a WNBA women’s basketball game is 40 minutes. Each game is divided into 4 quarters of 10 minutes each.
There is a 15 minutes halftime break between the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and WNBA overtime is 5 minutes long each. In case of a tied game, overtimes will keep happening until one of the teams win.
WNBA regular season has a total of 36 games.
High School Basketball Games Duration
High school basketball games are a total of 32 minutes, with an average of 1.5 hours per game. Unlike NBA and College games, high school basketball games are shorter and have 4 quarters with 8 minutes per quarter.
The overtime for high school basketball games is 4 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- NBA games are 48 minutes game time and last 2 ½ to 3 hours start to finish.
- If you are attending an NBA game in person, budget 4 ½ to 5 hours for the entire outing.
- NBA regular seasons are Oct to April. Playoffs are April to June.
- Free throws are 1 point each.
- NCAA men’s and women’s basketball games are 40 minutes game time and last 2 hours start to finish.
- NCAA regular seasons are November to March. NCAA tournaments are March to April.
- WNBA are 40 minutes game time and last about 2 hours start to finish on TV
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Austin is the author of loveatfirstfit.com and a personal trainer with extensive knowledge in nutrition. Austin is passionate about helping others to find a suitable healthy lifestyle and feel good about themselves. Austin’s goal is to help people push their limits and achieve their physical performance.
