In the NBA, a made field goal ordinarily counts two or three points depending on the shooting position, and a made free throw counts one. Two made baskets can therefore add four, five or six points. To update a deficit, record what each score was worth and whether the opponent scored between them.
Start from the actual score
Use a fictional game with Blue on 80 and Red on 85. Blue trails by five. If Blue makes a two-point field goal, the score becomes 82–85 and the deficit is three. If its next score is a three-pointer and Red has scored nothing in between, the game is tied 85–85.
Calling that sequence two baskets tells you the number of makes. The two- and three-point values explain the five points added. Keep the scoring value alongside each event so the description and arithmetic agree.
Follow both teams in a running ledger
| Event | Blue | Red | Blue’s position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting score | 80 | 85 | Five behind |
| Blue makes a two | 82 | 85 | Three behind |
| Red makes a three | 82 | 88 | Six behind |
| Blue makes a three | 85 | 88 | Three behind |
| Blue makes two free throws | 87 | 88 | One behind |
Read the made-score column
The ledger includes made scores only. A missed attempt adds zero points. Two free-throw attempts add two points if both are made, one if exactly one is made and zero if both miss. Read a box-score label before treating the attempts figure as a scoring contribution.
For an isolated scoring total, three made two-pointers, two made three-pointers and four made free throws contribute 6+6+4=16 points. This example labels the two-point field goals separately. If a statistics table uses a combined field-goals-made column, check its definition before also adding three-pointers. A combined column can already include those makes.
Update the starting score after an accepted decision
With a one-point deficit in the fictional ledger, several kinds of made score could change the lead. Possession, fouls and time remaining are additional facts when interpreting the next possession. The points ledger gives the size of the gap at that moment.
NBA Rule 5 specifies the scoring conditions around the three-point line. When an official review changes a score’s value, use the corrected official total as the next starting point. Read both teams’ accepted totals, calculate the gap, then attach the value of the next made score. That keeps the arithmetic consistent when a free throw or an opponent’s intervening score interrupts the sequence of baskets. From the original 80–85 score, two Blue three-pointers with no Red score would make it 86–85. The same two makes would create a one-point lead in that sequence.
Sources and review
- NBA Rule5 — Scoring and Timing — NBA Official