Unrivaled Basketball Games to be Decided by 'Winning Score' Target

The new Unrivaled league has a fascinating new component that should add extra intrigue to the fourth quarter.
Photo of the Unrivaled logo taken from the Unrivaled website (https://www.unrivaled.basketball).
Photo of the Unrivaled logo taken from the Unrivaled website (https://www.unrivaled.basketball). / https://www.unrivaled.basketball

One of the reasons Unrivaled is receiving so much hype prior to its first season tipping off on January 15 is because fans don't know what to expect since they've never seen the league in action before.

While this novelty is a cause for excitement, it's also a cause for confusion. This was made apparent when an inaccurate post was circulating around social media earlier this week about Unrivaled having a three-second shot clock (the shot clock is actually 18 seconds).

This is why a January 14 article from ESPN's Kendra Andrews which sheds light on some of Unrivaled's rules and intriguing additions has been extremely beneficial for fans to read.

"Played on a condensed 49.2-foot by 72-foot court -- compared to the WNBA's 94-by-50 court and the Olympics' 36-by-49 halfcourt -- the rules for the new 3-on-3 league will be vastly different from the 3x3 Olympics event which made its debut in the Tokyo Games," Andrews wrote.

"League officials told ESPN each Unrivaled game will feature three seven-minute quarters and a fourth quarter which the league is calling 'winning score.' The winning score will be determined by adding 11 points to the leading team's score through three quarters. For example, if the score is 50-48 heading into the final quarter, the first team to reach 61 points wins. There will never be overtime."

Later on in the article, Andrews added, "Unrivaled organizers hope playing to a target score eliminates late-game fouls and speeds up the game overall."

This "winning score" addition is fascinating, and is reminiscent of the Elam Ending the NBA previously tried in the All-Star Game. While it sounds like a cause for added excitement, fans (and the league) will have to wait and see how it translates when the Unrivaled regular season begins on Friday.


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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.