This resulted in very low-scoring games with excessive fouls, which negatively affected attendance. If one team did choose to stall, the opposing team (especially if behind) would often commit fouls to regain possession. Before the introduction of the shot clock, teams often ran out the clock by passing the ball more frequently after having established a lead in a game. In the years following the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1946, teams only averaged around 80 points per game. If the game is still tied at the end of regulation play, additional overtime period(s) are played in order to determine the winner. The team that records the most points at the end of a game is declared the game's winner.
Points can be accumulated by making field goals (worth two points from within the three-point line or three points from beyond the three-point line) or free throws (worth one point).
In basketball, points are used to keep track of the score in a game. Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix was the site of the highest-scoring playoff game. McNichols Arena in Denver was the site of the highest-scoring game in NBA history.
