Overtime in basketball explained

Basketball does not allow a tie. If the scores are level when regulation time expires, the game is not left drawn but is instead settled by playing extra time, known as overtime. The purpose is simple: every game must produce a winner. Overtime gives the two teams an additional, shorter period to break the deadlock, continuing the game beyond its normal length until one side finishes ahead.

An overtime period is a fixed length shorter than a regular quarter, commonly five minutes. The teams switch to this extra period and play it out in full, no matter how large a lead one side builds, because there is no sudden-death finish; the whole period is played. Whichever team is ahead when the overtime clock reaches zero wins, provided the scores are no longer level.

Overtime is treated as a continuation of the game rather than a fresh start, so several things carry over from regulation. Players who have not fouled out remain eligible, and the count of accumulated fouls continues, which can be crucial if a team is already in foul trouble. Teams are usually given an additional timeout or two for the extra period, but much of the situation from the end of regulation simply continues.

One overtime period does not always settle it. If the teams are still level when the extra time ends, another overtime period of the same length is played, and this repeats as many times as necessary until a winner emerges. Multiple-overtime games are rare and become tests of endurance, with benches thinned by players fouling out, but the principle never changes: play continues until one team finishes a period in front.