The G League is set to make some changes to its overtime rules after the League announced that there would be a “target score” ending for its overtime game. The first team to score seven points in the extra period wins, with the overtime being untimed.
The G League set seven points as the target because it wanted to ensure the extra period lasted longer than two possessions. The move mirrors what the NBA has done at its last three All-Star games. Since Kobe Bryant tragically passed away in a helicopter accident, the League opted to set a fourth-quarter “target score” of 24 points, a nod to the Hall-of-Famer’s iconic jersey number. The final frame was untimed as well.
A variation of the “target score” will also be used for the G League’s Winter Showcase in Las Vegas in December. The fourth quarter of the Winter Showcase will also go untimed; the highest score after three periods will have 25 points added to it, and the first team to hit the “target score” will be the winner.
For example, if Team A leads Team B 75-74 after three quarters, the first team to 100 points would be the winner.
The G League is going to a seven-point "target score" finish for overtime games this season (similar to TBT's Elam Ending).
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 1, 2022
And all 31 games at the Winter Showcase in Las Vegas will utilize a 25-point target score during an untimed fourth quarter.
G season starts Nov. 4.
The NBA has experimented with the Elam Ending since 2019 after former NBPA president Chris Paul reached out to the League and recommended exploring the concept made famous by The Basketball Tournament, a winner-take-all summer tourney entire moalumf college alum teams, and overseas talent.
In the Elam Ending, the clock is turned off at the first stoppage with 4:00 or less in the final frame, and the target score is eight points more than the highest score at the time.
The G League released its schedule on Thursday, featuring a 50-game slate, an 18-game Showcase Cup to start the year, followed by a 32-game regular-season from Nov. 4-March 25. The playoffs will begin on March 28. The G League Ignite and Mexico City Capitanes are set to be full members of the League this season and will play a full 50-game schedule and can compete for the League title for the first time.
The Ignite will play their home games out of Henderson, Nevada. The team has been used to develop NBA prospects like Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Dyson Daniels, Jaden Hardy, and MarJon Beauchamp.
