Average NBA game score: 115.6 per team, about 231 combined

The average NBA game had about 231 combined points in the 2025–26 regular season, with teams averaging 115.6 points apiece across 1,230 games. That is the latest completed regular-season benchmark as of November 4, 2026. Source: Basketball-Reference league averages.

A final score such as 116–115 illustrates that scoring level; it is not the league’s average winning and losing score. The key distinction is whether you mean one team’s points or the total scored by both teams.

Per-team scoring versus the combined game total

League scoring averages are commonly presented as points per team per game. To convert that number into a combined game average, multiply by two:

115.6 × 2 = approximately 231.2 combined points per game.

The result is approximate because the published per-team figure is rounded to one decimal place. Calculating directly from game scores means adding both teams’ final points across the season and dividing by the number of games.

These are final-score averages, including overtime scoring—not regulation-only averages. They also describe the regular season, not a combined sample of regular-season and playoff games.

Recent average NBA game scores

Source: Basketball-Reference’s NBA league averages. Combined figures are calculated by doubling the displayed, rounded per-team averages.

The season matters: a 100-point team performance was below the 2025–26 league average, but above the 2003–04 average. A single all-time number would blur those different scoring environments.

There is variation within a season, too. In 2025–26, Denver averaged 122.1 points per game, while Brooklyn averaged 105.9. The league mean is a reference point, not what every team scores. Source: NBA team statistics.

Why pace and shooting change the score

Two things drive a team’s point total: how many possessions it gets and how many points it scores on those possessions. The NBA defines pace as possessions per 48 minutes and offensive rating as points scored per 100 possessions. Source: NBA statistical glossary.

For a hypothetical example, a team scoring 1.15 points per possession would average 115 points over 100 possessions. At the same efficiency over 90 possessions, it would average 103.5 points. The lower total would not mean worse scoring efficiency—just fewer opportunities.

Shot value also matters. In 2025–26, teams averaged 13.3 made three-pointers and 18.4 made free throws per game. Those threes contributed roughly 40 points before counting any two-point baskets or free throws. Source: league shooting averages. That is why field-goal percentage alone does not fully explain scoring: a made three adds more points than a made two.

The average is a scoring benchmark, not a predicted result or the most common final score. To judge a particular game, compare its total with the same season’s average, then check possessions, shooting and whether overtime added extra scoring time.