Glossary

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41 essential basketball terms — searchable, filterable, and tappable from anywhere.

Field Goal (FG) scoring: Any made basket from the floor — worth 2 points inside the arc or 3 beyond it. Free throws are not field goals.
Three-Pointer (3PT) scoring: A made shot from beyond the three-point arc (23'9" at the top, 22' in the corners), worth 3 points.
Free Throw (FT) scoring: An undefended shot worth 1 point, taken from the line 15 feet from the basket after certain fouls.
Layup scoring: A close-range shot banked or laid softly off the backboard or rim, usually finished at speed near the basket.
Dunk scoring: A field goal scored by driving the ball directly down through the hoop by hand.
And-One scoring: A made field goal while being fouled, earning one bonus free throw — a potential three- or four-point play.
Points (PTS) scoring: Total scoring output: free throws (1), two-point field goals (2), and threes (3).
Fast Break scoring: A quick transition push up the floor after a rebound or steal, aiming to score before the defense sets.
Assist (AST) playmaking: A pass that leads directly to a teammate's made field goal.
Pick-and-Roll playmaking: A two-player action where a screener sets a pick for the ball-handler, then rolls to the basket for a pass.
Screen playmaking: A legal block by an offensive player to free a teammate from their defender. Also called a pick.
Turnover (TO) playmaking: Losing possession to the defense via a bad pass, lost dribble, offensive foul, or violation.
Box-Out playmaking: Positioning your body between an opponent and the basket to claim rebounding space after a shot.
Rebound (REB) defense: Gaining possession of the ball after a missed shot, on offense or defense.
Offensive Rebound (OREB) defense: A rebound grabbed by the shooting team, granting a fresh possession and a 14-second shot clock.
Block (BLK) defense: Legally deflecting an opponent's shot attempt out of the air before it begins to descend.
Steal (STL) defense: Taking the ball from the offense by intercepting a pass or poking away a dribble.
Goaltending defense: Illegally touching a shot on its downward arc or above the rim; the basket counts automatically.
Double-Double stat: Reaching double digits (10+) in two statistical categories in a single game.
Triple-Double stat: Reaching double digits (10+) in three categories — most often points, rebounds, and assists.
Plus-Minus (+/-) stat: The team's net point differential while a given player is on the floor.
Usage Rate stat: The share of a team's possessions a player uses via shots, free throws, or turnovers while on court.
True Shooting (TS%) stat: A scoring-efficiency stat that weighs 2s, 3s, and free throws into one percentage. ~58%+ is elite.
Field Goal % (FG%) stat: Made field goals divided by attempts. ~50% from the floor is strong for a non-center.
Shot Clock rule: The offense must attempt a shot that hits the rim within 24 seconds (14 after an offensive rebound).
Backcourt Violation rule: Failing to advance the ball past half court within 8 seconds, or returning it to the backcourt once over.
Three-Second Violation rule: An offensive player may not stand in the painted lane for more than 3 consecutive seconds.
Personal Foul (PF) rule: Illegal contact with an opponent. Six personal fouls disqualify a player from the game.
Technical Foul rule: A foul for unsportsmanlike conduct or a procedural breach, awarding the opponent one free throw.
Flagrant Foul rule: Unnecessary or excessive contact, awarding free throws plus possession; two flagrants mean ejection.
Bonus rule: Once a team commits 5 fouls in a quarter, the opponent shoots free throws on every subsequent non-shooting foul.
Traveling rule: Moving illegally with the ball without dribbling, such as taking too many steps.
9-Category (9-Cat) fantasy: The standard fantasy format scoring PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG%, FT%, and turnovers.
8-Category (8-Cat) fantasy: A category format identical to 9-cat but dropping turnovers from the scoring set.
Rotisserie fantasy: Season-long format ranking teams 1-N in each category, summed for a final standing. No weekly matchups.
H2H Categories fantasy: Head-to-head format with weekly matchups; you win or lose each category individually each week.
H2H Points fantasy: Head-to-head format converting every stat to a point value; highest weekly total wins.
Punt Strategy fantasy: Deliberately ignoring a category (e.g. punt FT% for big men) to dominate the others in category leagues.
Snake Draft fantasy: A reverse-order draft: the last picker in round 1 picks first in round 2. Most leagues use this.
Streaming fantasy: Rotating end-of-bench players in and out based on the weekly schedule to maximize games played.
Games Played fantasy: Total games your active roster logs in a week; targeting 4-game team schedules maximizes counting stats.