NBA overtime rules
Last reviewed
When an NBA game is tied after four quarters it goes to overtime. The format is simple, and it is the same in the regular season and the playoffs.
The basics
- Each overtime period lasts five minutes of game time.
- There is no limit: teams keep playing additional five-minute periods until one leads at the end of a period.
- There are no shootouts or tiebreakers; the game is always decided by play.
- The format is the same in the regular season, play-in tournament and playoffs.
Fouls and timeouts
Personal fouls carry over from regulation, so a player who reaches six personal fouls in overtime fouls out just as in regulation. Teams receive a fresh, smaller allotment of timeouts for each overtime period. Check the official rulebook for the current timeout and team-foul details, which the league adjusts from time to time.
What it means for viewers
Each overtime adds five minutes of game clock, but stoppages often make it 15 minutes or more of real time. On SportSurge the watch page stays on the game until the provider marks it as ended.