What are the overtime rules in NBA Playoffs?

The NBA Playoffs are right around the corner and the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to make a deep run at championship no. 18. With all of the league’s best teams squaring off, there are destined to be countless close games that come down to the wire in regulation.

Sometimes regulation is not enough, though. There are bound to be multiple overtime games in the NBA Playoffs this year and it is important for Lakers fans to know all of the NBA overtime rules in case it happens to the Lake Show.

Here is everything you need to know about the NBA overtime rules in the NBA Playoffs. Hopefully, the Lakers can take care of business without needing the extra period(s) of play.

How long is NBA overtime in the playoffs?

Just like the regular season, an overtime period in the NBA Playoffs will last five minutes and follow many of the same rules that are enacted in the final two minutes of regulation. If the two teams are tied after the five-minute period then things will reset and they will head into a second overtime period.

How many timeouts do NBA teams get in overtime?

Teams are granted two timeouts for the five-minute overtime period. If a team’s one coach’s challenge is not used in regulation then they can also use that in overtime as well. However, teams cannot challenge goaltending or an out-of-bounds violation in the last two minutes of overtime.

How do fouls work in NBA overtime?

Any shooting foul results in a trip to the free-throw line just like in regulation. Any non-shooting foul does not result in a trip to the free-throw line, also like in regulation. However, the number of total team fouls that it takes to send a team to the bonus is different.

In a normal period, it takes five team fouls to send the other team into the bonus, meaning that any defensive foul (not just shooting fouls) will result in a trip to the free-throw line. In overtime, that number is reduced to four.

How does instant replay work in NBA overtime?

There are several scenarios in which officials can trigger an instant replay in the final two minutes of an overtime period. These scenarios include reviewing a block/charge call, reviewing a goaltending call, reviewing the game clock and reviewing which team touched the ball last before it went out of bounds.

In the first three minutes of overtime, the league offices can trigger a replay to determine if a basket was correctly called (a two-pointer vs a three-pointer) or if someone released the ball in time before the shot clock.