Elam Ending

A method of ending basketball games by reaching a specified target score, devised by Ball State University professor Nick Elam and currently used in The Basketball Tournament, the NBA All-Star Game, the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and the NBA G League. In the TBT implementation, upon the first dead ball on or after the 4:00 mark in the final quarter, 8 points (originally 7, but changed for the 2019 edition) are added to the score of the leading team, which becomes the target score. The game then continues without a game clock but with the shot clock, and the first team to reach or exceed the target score wins. In the NBA ASG implementation, the first three quarters proceed normally. Then, the target score is set by adding 24 points to the score of the leading team, and the game continues as in the TBT implementation. The CEBL implements the Elam Ending at the same point as in TBT, but adds 9 points to set the target score; additionally, if the dead-ball situation that triggers the Elam Ending results in free throws for either team, the free throws are taken under dead-ball conditions before the target score is set. Starting with the 2022–23 season, the G League uses the Elam Ending in two situations. First, in all regular-season games, overtime is played under Elam Ending conditions, with the target score set by adding 7 points to the tied teams' score at the end of regulation. Second, games in the G League Showcase, a special event held in December, operate identically to the NBA ASG, except that the target score is set by adding 25 points instead of 24