Game Length
Also known as: Quarters, Halves, Periods
How long a game lasts and how it’s split up.
The rule
A game is played in fixed periods of running game time. The clock stops for whistles, so a 40-minute game takes much longer than 40 minutes on your watch. The team with more points when time runs out wins.
Around the leagues
- 4 × 12 min: NBA. 48 minutes in total, the longest game of the seven.
- 4 × 10 min: WNBA, FIBA, NCAA W, Wheelchair. 40 minutes in total.
- 2 × 20 min: NCAA M. 40 minutes in two halves. The only one still played in halves.
- 10 min or 21 points: 3x3. One period. The first team to reach 21 wins straight away.