NBA Scores
The objective of basketball, like almost any sport, is to outscore the opponent. In the NBA, points are earned by putting the ball through the basket, an act known as shooting. There are different point amounts, depending on the type of shot, but NBA scores is very straightforward and easy to understand. NBA scores can sometimes reach more than a combined 400 in a single game, but can also be as low as 150. The lowest NBA score ever was a total of 37 points, which occurred when the Fort Wayne Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers played in 1950. The Pistons won that game.
NBA Points Scores
Three points are awarded to players who successfully shoot the ball through the hoop from behind the three-point line. This distance is anywhere from 22 feet to the basket from the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches from the top of the arc (In college basketball, the arc is 20 feet, 9 inches from the basket).
Two point scores in NBA are awarded when a player successfully shoots the ball into the basket from anywhere inside the three-point line. Jump shots, layups and dunks are the most common types of two-point shots.
One point is awarded if a player is fouled. In this case, the player is given free attempts to shoot the ball, foul shots, with one or two shots awarded, depending on the type and timing of the foul. A player is awarded one point for every foul shot made.
Foul Shots
Any personal foul that a player incurs during the act of shooting will result in two or three free throws. The number depends on whether the player was in the act of attempting a two-point shot or a three-point shot when the infraction occurred. Making free throw scores is not a guarantee and NBA players routinely miss. Karl Malone holds the record for most career points from the free throw line, with 9,787.
Personal Fouls
- Personal fouls result from having made physical contact with another player. This may include:
- Hitting, kicking, shoving, elbowing
- Sticking out a limb to block a player and making contact
- Touching the player while shooting with no intent to steal the ball. This is an intentional foul.
- Unsportsmanlike behavior – arguing, swearing or making obscene gestures – can also result in a technical foul.
