National Basketball Association

NBA D-League to use international goaltending rule

Published Sep. 29, 2010 2:23 p.m. ET

foxsports

The NBA Development League will use international goaltending rules and shorter overtime periods this season, experiments that could someday make their way into the NBA.

The league said Wednesday that overtime will last three minutes instead of five.

The new goaltending rule follows the standard used in the international game, which allows a player to knock the ball away when it is on the rim. NBA rules prohibit players from touching the ball when it is on the cylinder.

Executive vice president for basketball operations Stu Jackson says one of the benefits of the NBA's minor leagues is ''it allows us to look at the rules of play and experiment with ways we can make the game more competitive.''