
Points in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making
field goals
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, a ...
(two or
three
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
points) or
free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...
s (one point). The team that has recorded the most points at the end of a game is declared that game's winner.
If a player makes a field goal from within the three-point line, the player scores two points; if that player is fouled in the act of shooting, a made free throw turns it into a
three-point play In basketball, a three-point play is usually achieved by scoring a two-point field goal, being fouled in the act of shooting, and scoring one point on the subsequent free throw. Before the three-point field goal was created in the 1960s for profess ...
.
If a player makes a field goal from beyond the three-point line, the player scores three points; if that player is fouled in the act of shooting, a made free throw turns it into a
four-point play
In basketball, a four-point play is the rare occasion when an offensive player shoots and makes a three-point field goal while simultaneously being fouled by a defensive player, resulting in a shooting foul and one free throw attempt, or a two- ...
.
Point records
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List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders
This article contains two charts: The first chart is a list of the top 50 all-time scorers in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The list includes only points scored in regular season games. The second chart is a progressiv ...
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List of National Basketball Association season scoring leaders
In basketball, Basketball scorekeeping, points are accumulated through free throws or Field goal (basketball), field goals. The National Basketball Association's (NBA) scoring title is awarded to the player with the highest points per game avera ...
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List of highest-scoring NBA games
In basketball, points are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals (worth two points from within the three-point line or three points from beyond the three-point line) or free throws (worth on ...
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List of NBA regular season records
This article lists all-time records achieved in the National Basketball Association, NBA regular season in major statistical categories recognized by the league, including those set by teams and individuals in a game, season, and career. The NB ...
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List of NBA post-season records
This article lists all-time records achieved in the NBA post-season in major categories recognized by the league, including those set by teams and individuals in single games, series, and careers. The NBA also recognizes records from its original ...
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List of WNBA regular season records
This article lists all-time records achieved in the WNBA regular season in major statistical categories recognized by the league, including those set by teams and individuals in a game, season, and career.
Individual game records Points
''Stat ...
References
Basketball terminology
Basketball statistics
Scoring (basketball)
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