Periods are often interchangeably used with quarters, but how many periods are in basketball?
A basketball game consists of four periods where each is comprised of 12 minutes in an NBA match. However, their length may differ depending on the level of the game. For example, a period is 10 minutes long, and the game is divided into four 10-minute periods when it comes to women’s basketball games.
According to women’s NCAA basketball and FIBA basketball tournaments, the length of each period is 2 minutes less than a professional NBA game. In this article, we will learn how many periods are in basketball and their duration in different basketball leagues.
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SO HOW MANY PERIODS ARE IN BASKETBALL?
The most famous basketball league in the NBA, where there are four total periods, each composed of 12 minutes. This time duration is the highest among all other basketball leagues. However, the actual periods can be longer than 12 minutes because several other unforeseeable factors lead to the extension of quarter time.
There are always two short and one long break between these periods. The first short break takes place between the first and second period/quarter, while the second one takes place between 3rd and fourth period-each break is around 2 minutes longer. But what’s between 2nd and 3rd?
So the break between the 2nd and 3rd quarter is the longest one which is comprised of 15 minutes and is allowed once in a match. This break is called half-time. Moreover, in men’s NCAA basketball matches, there is only one break, which is half-time.
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL
There are only two periods in men’s basketball matches with only one break in between that lasts for 15 minutes; however, similar to NBA, the pre-decided periods time mat differ due to specific other facts such as injury.
The more interesting fact is that is an extra time of 5 minutes given when the game ties; moreover, there is unlimited overtime offered in NCAA basketball.
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WNBA WOMEN’SWOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Unlike NCAA, in WNBA, there are four periods, each lasting for 10 minutes. Apart from time duration, all other factors are similar to NBA. For example, there are two short breaks and a long break that takes place between the 2nd and 3rd periods. The only thing common between WNBA and NCAA is the total length of the game, i.e., 40 minutes.
Now that we know how many periods are in basketball matches of NBA, NCAA, and WNBA, it’s time to know about the high school basketball games.
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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAME
There are four periods in high school basketball games where each period lasts for 8 minutes, and the total length of the play is 32 minutes. Furthermore, there is also extra time given in case when match ties. Additional time will last for 5 minutes and will be given continuously if one of the two teams wins the match.
LONGEST NBA GAME
After learning about how many periods are in basketball, let’s know about the longest basketball match of all time.
The game of basketball is a physical and demanding sport. Yet, one game stands out as the longest of all time. On January 6, 1951, the Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians played a game for six periods. The Olympians won this record-breaking match with a score of 75-73.
As mentioned earlier, basketball games can sometimes take longer than the predefined time since multiple factors are responsible for that, such as when a match ties or an injury.
There have been many games in the history of basketball that played longer than the average time. Moreover, played the second-longest match between the Seattle Supersonics and the Milwaukee Bucks on November 9, 1989, which lasted for five periods, and the Milwaukee Bucks were the victorious team with a score of 155-154.
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CONCLUSION
Hopefully, you got the answer to how many periods are in basketball.
Basketball has four periods, and each period has a different purpose and length of time. The game is over when one of them reaches the end of the fourth period with more points.
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