Do you wanna know – How long is a basketball game? So, normally, a basketball match typically lasts for 4 quarters, each lasting 12 minutes in the NBA, making a total of 48 minutes of gameplay. But, the actual duration of a match can be longer due to lots of factors like – timeouts, fouls, and stoppages. Also including halftime and breaks, the average NBA match takes around 2 to 2.5 hours to complete.