NBA

Twenty points up at halftime? The NBA has taught fans to keep watching. A hot shooting stretch or a change in defence can bring a game back to life before the fourth quarter begins. With so many matchups across the season, the next standout performance is never far away.

The regular season brings an enormous range of matchups. One night is shaped by a duel between star scorers; another by bench players, rebounding or a defensive adjustment that changes the final quarter. The pace means a game can look completely different after halftime.

As the standings take shape, the meaning of each meeting changes too. Rivalries grow, teams test lineups and the playoff race adds pressure to late-season games. Watch the runs within the game as closely as the final score — they often tell you where the contest turned.

A close game also changes the choices available to both coaches. Timeouts, defensive matchups and the players trusted with the final possession come into focus. When the score is tight in the last two minutes, every trip down the court feels like a separate contest.