Last updated: Feb 09, 2024
A quarter in basketball refers to the period of time in one section of a basketball game. An NBA game is split into four 12-minute periods that are referred to as quarters.The game clock shows how much time is left in every given quarter, starting at 12:00 and running all the way to zero. This happens four times until the end of regulation.There is sometimes an overtime period of five minutes if the two teams are tied at the end of regulation.Read on to learn more about quarters in basketball.
Table of Contents
- How Long Are Breaks Between Quarters in Basketball?
- How Many Quarters Are There in a Basketball Game?
- Duration of Quarters
- How Long Is a Quarter in the NBA?
- How Long Is a Quarter in High School Basketball?
- International Basketball Level
- FAQ
How Long Are Breaks Between Quarters in Basketball?
In between quarters in basketball, the breaks are called intermissions.The intermissions after the first, third, and fourth quarters for most NBA games last two minutes and 30 seconds. These breaks are short, as there is a longer break called halftime in the middle of the game.However, nationally televised NBA games have intermissions of three minutes and 30 seconds each following the first and third quarters (the intermission before overtime still lasts two minutes and 30 seconds during nationally televised games).
Halftime is 15 minutes long and occurs between the second and third quarters.Teams return to their locker rooms to talk about what happened in the first half and what they can do better in the second half. It is also a good time to rest up and gain back some energy for the second half. It is crucial to have a productive halftime in order to see serious progress on the court in the form of tactical and lineup adjustments.
How Many Quarters Are There in a Basketball Game?
Usually, in the NBA or in high school, games are split up into four quarters, hence the name “quarter.”However, the duration of quarters differs between high school and in the NBA. There are four 12-minute quarters in the NBA, while quarter length can be different in many different leagues for high schools.
In men’s college basketball, they do not play quarters: instead, they play two 20-minute halves.In women’s college basketball, games are split into four 10-minute quarters, similar to the format of international basketball games.
Duration of Quarters
The duration of quarters in high school can differ, but they are normally eight minutes each.The duration of quarters for the NBA is 12 minutes.In international basketball and women’s college basketball, the length of quarters is 10 minutes.
How Long Is a Quarter in the NBA?
An NBA basketball game consists of regulation and possibly overtime quarters.
In regulation, there are four quarters that last 12 minutes each. This means that there are 48 minutes in regulation.
- Quarter 1: 12:00
- Quarter 2: 12:00
- Quarter 3: 12:00
- Quarter 4: 12:00
If the score is equal at the end of regulation, extra quarters of game time are played to determine the winning team. In the NBA, overtime periods last five minutes.The team with the most points at the end of the overtime quarter is the winner.
How Long Is a Quarter in High School Basketball?
High school basketball quarters are eight minutes in length, with a 10-minute break at halftime.Because of this, a high school basketball game typically will last around an hour-and-a-half. However, some states allow games to move along much quicker if a team is winning by a lot. Known as the mercy rule, if a team is leading by around 30 points, the clock will only stop for timeouts and injuries.
International Basketball Level
The duration of a basketball quarter at the international level is 10 minutes.There is a two-minute gap between each quarter in the international leagues. These quarters are two minutes less than the duration of a quarter of basketball played in the NBA. Additionally, these quarters in total have the same amount of time as two 20-minute halves in college basketball.
FAQ
Why are there breaks in between quarters?
There are breaks in between quarters in order to give the players a rest in order for them to be fresh and ready for the start of the next quarter.Halftime is longer than the other breaks between quarters in order to give players an even longer chance to rest for the half ahead of them and to gameplan what they can fix in their game. They can also talk about what they have been doing well and how they can continue to do this in the coming half.There are also media timeouts, which are used by television stations to pause for commercials.
How long are the quarters in Olympic basketball?
The Olympics use the same rules as international basketball by having 10-minute quarters.However, overtime periods in the Olympics are the same 5-minute length as NBA overtime.
Why are NBA quarters 12 minutes?
The general consensus is that the NBA considers 12 minutes to be the ideal quarter length to promote a sustainably high level of play and an enjoyable viewing experience.The NBA has always featured four 12-minute quarters, despite international and NCAA basketball featuring different period systems.This is in part because the NBA sought to keep games that ended in regulation to a rough maximum of just over two hours, including halftime and intermissions.
