Open the Basketball Scorekeeper in your browser, type a name for the home team and a name for the away team, then tap the +1, +2, or +3 button under whichever side just scored. The +1 records a free throw, the +2 records a goal from the two-point area, and the +3 records a goal from the three-point area, matching the standard scoring values used by FIBA and confirmed by USA Basketball's youth guidelines. Each scoring event is logged separately, so a three-pointer is never reconstructed later from an unexplained number; the scoreboard keeps each team's total, the current period, and each side's team-foul count visible in a single layout. Team fouls are recorded on their own button so they do not silently change the score, and Undo last event restores the complete prior game and daily summary if a tap was wrong. Nothing is uploaded and no league account is required, so the entire setup takes about a minute and the device's local storage holds the day's totals until you export or clear them.
Why a plain plus-one counter falls short for basketball
A generic plus-one tally loses the difference between a free throw and a three-point shot. By the end of the game the totals may match, but no one can tell which events built them, and any small arithmetic error becomes invisible until someone reads back the totals. Basketball scoring has three standard values, not one, and the rules for each value are spelled out in the FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2024 Article 16: a free throw counts one, a goal from the two-point area counts two, and a goal from the three-point area counts three. USA Basketball's youth guidelines provide an independent player-facing cross-check of those familiar values.
That is why the scorekeeper gives you separate buttons for each scoring action rather than a single +1. The kind of event is preserved alongside the running total, so if you ever need to defend a final score or share a recap, the receipts are still attached. If you want a broader look at where a scorekeeper with event-type buttons is the right tool and where a generic tally counter is enough, the Basketball Scorekeeper decision guide walks through the trade-offs in plain language.
Set up your two-team scoreboard in under a minute
The first session is short because there is no account, no login, and no upload step. Everything stays in this browser under a local storage entry, so a different device starts empty until you use it there too. Enter two team names before you tap anything else, and you are ready for the opening tip.
- Open the Basketball Scorekeeper in your browser.
- Type a name into the home team field and a name into the away team field.
- Leave the period at 1 to start; advance with the Next period button when a period ends.
- Tap +1, +2, or +3 under the team that just scored; that team's total updates immediately.
- Tap "Record team foul" under the appropriate side whenever a team foul is called.
That is enough to start tracking a pickup game, a school practice, a community event, or a driveway game. The screen keeps the totals, the current period, and each side's team-foul count visible together, so you can glance at the scoreboard between plays without losing your place.
Record every scoring event by type
The three scoring buttons match the values used by organized basketball, which keeps the scoreboard honest whether the shot came from the free-throw line, the paint, or behind the arc.
| Event | Points | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Free throw | 1 | FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2024, Article 16 |
| Goal from the two-point area | 2 | FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2024, Article 16 |
| Goal from the three-point area | 3 | FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2024, Article 16 |
USA Basketball's youth guidelines echo these same values for player-facing use, which is why a +3 button is not a guess at house rules. Because the scoring event itself is recorded, a missed tap or a misheard call can be corrected without having to subtract a generic amount. If you want to walk through how the event-type buttons compare against a generic tally counter, the free Basketball Scorekeeper guide on tracking points by event type shows the difference side by side.
Track team fouls separately from the score
A team foul is not a point, and the scorekeeper keeps it that way. Fouls use a dedicated "Record team foul" button under the appropriate side rather than being folded into the team's total. This matters for two reasons: the score always reflects scoring events only, and the foul count stays available as a reminder for the period-based rules used in most formats.
The currently displayed team-foul totals reset when you advance to the next period, which mirrors the regulation flow where a new period starts with a clean team-foul slate. The running game score is unaffected by that reset, while the period counter advances by one and the visible team-foul numbers reset. The daily event summary still contains every foul you recorded, so nothing is lost when the period resets.
Move through periods and overtime deliberately
The scorekeeper does not run a game clock and it does not decide when a period ends. You choose when to advance. Tap "Next period" when a period finishes; the score stays on the board, the period counter increases by one, and the displayed team-foul totals reset for the next period. After the fourth period, the display continues as numbered overtime periods, so a single overtime appears as period 5 and a double overtime appears as period 6.
This deliberate boundary means the scorekeeper never auto-advances and never asks whether overtime is required; it only reflects what you tell it. The same rule applies to game length: a two-half pickup game, a four-quarter school game, and a five-period recreational format are all possible because you choose the next transition yourself.
Correct a mistake with Undo or start a new game
Mistakes happen at the sideline, and the Undo last event button is designed for a real correction rather than a generic minus. Undoing a foul does not change the score, because the foul was never recorded as a point. Undoing a three-point event restores the correct total by removing the same three points that were originally added, rather than subtracting one. The full prior game state, including the daily summary, is restored as a unit.
When you want a clean slate for a new contest, use "Start new game" to clear the active scoreboard and the current-period foul display while keeping the saved daily history. Use "Clear local history" only when you deliberately want to wipe every saved record from this browser; that action cannot be undone. Both controls are explicit, so a stray tap will not throw away a session by accident.
Export a private PNG or CSV when you want a copy
Sometimes you want a portable record, not just the screen in front of you. Export PNG creates a 1080 by 1350 visual record with a total and recent days, and it leaves out team names and a web address to reduce unnecessary context when the file is shared. Export CSV creates a compact file with one row per local date, including home points, away points, home fouls, and away fouls, so a later reader does not have to guess what a total means.
Both downloads use the browser's native Blob and canvas APIs, so nothing is uploaded and there is no server-side conversion. Your team names, the active game, and the daily history stay only in this browser under the tool's local storage key. A different device starts empty, clearing site data removes the record, and an unavailable browser storage area is disclosed rather than treated as a hidden backup.
What the scorekeeper deliberately does not do
The tool is not a licensed official scoresheet, a shot clock, a possession tracker, a player roster, a player-foul ledger, or a rules engine that decides penalties and substitutions. Competition rules vary across FIBA, NBA, WNBA, NCAA, youth, and pickup formats, and the scorekeeper does not claim to resolve those differences. Use it where a standard one, two, and three-point two-team ledger, a visible period counter, and a team-foul reminder are the desired convenience, and record each event, correct a mistaken tap with Undo, advance the period deliberately, and export only the private history you choose to keep.