Scoring
Twos, threes, and free throws
How Scoring Works in Basketball is part of Basketball Foundations, BasketballGraph's introductory basketball curriculum. This lesson explains the three ways to score, free throws: how many and when, reading a box score.
01The three ways to score
Every point in basketball comes from one of three shots:
Two-pointers — any field goal made from inside the three-point arc, including layups and dunks.
Three-pointers — any field goal made with both feet behind the arc when the shooter leaves the ground.
Free throws — worth 1 point each, taken unguarded from the free-throw line after certain fouls.
02Free throws: how many and when
Free throws are awarded when a player is fouled while shooting: two free throws if fouled on a 2-point attempt, three if fouled on a 3-point attempt. If the shot goes in anyway, it counts and the shooter gets one bonus free throw — the classic "and-one."
Teams can also earn free throws from accumulated team fouls — we'll cover that in the Fouls topic.
03Reading a box score
A player's line of "6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, 5-of-6 free throws" tells you they scored (4×2) + (2×3) + (5×1) = 19 points. Being able to do this math instantly is a small skill that pays off forever — coaches live in box scores.
Notice something already: three-pointers are worth 50% more than twos. That one fact reshaped modern basketball, and we'll dig into it in the Analytics topic much later.
See it in action
How basketball scoring works: 2-point, 3-point, and free throw shots
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