There are many basketball fans who don't know - how long is a basketball game nba? So, here I'll tell you the exact timing. The NBA basketball game consists of four quarters, and each quarter lasting 12 minutes. This totals 48 minutes of regulation play. But, there are some stoppages during the game, like - timeouts, fouls, and other interruptions, that can extend the overall duration. Including halftime, which is typically 15 minutes. So the average NBA game takes around 2 to 2.5 hours from start to finish.