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G League to Utilize New Rules for Scoring

By South Bay Lakers Staff /September 6, 2022

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The NBA G League announced Thursday that it will incorporate a new rule for games that are sent to overtime. The Final Target Score system will determine the winners of each game as a way to reach final results in a rapid manner.

Here’s how the system will work according to the G League:

“The winner of an overtime game during the season will be the first team to reach or surpass the Final Target Score, which will be the tied score after four quarters plus seven. For example, if the teams are tied at 100-100, the Final Target Score will be 107. Overtime will be untimed and games will end when a team makes a basket or free throw to reach or surpass the Final Target Score.”

In addition to the overtime changes, all 31 games at the 2022 AT&T NBA G League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas will utilize a 25-point Final Target Score during an untimed fourth quarter. Under this model, the Final Target Score will be the leading team’s score after three quarters plus 25.

These changes have most notably been seen and used during the last three NBA All-Star Games. The target score equaled whichever team was leading after three quarters, plus 24, as an honor to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Additionally, The Basketball Tournament (otherwise known as TBT) has utilized a similar model known as the Elam Ending. In this case, the clock is turned off at the first stoppage with 4:00 or less in the fourth quarter, and the target score is equal to eight points more than the leading score at the time.