The game
Each daily puzzle asks for the primary starters at PG, SG, SF, PF and C for one real NBA team-season.
STARTING 5 RULEBOOK
How to play the NBA starting five quiz
Rebuild the five-player starting lineup from a historic NBA team. Guess early, use the clues carefully, or skip a player when you need to protect your next move.
Five attempts
You get up to five guesses for each open position. You can solve the positions in any order, or use Skip player to spend an attempt without entering a name.
Progressive clues
Wrong guesses unlock jersey number, age, height and progressively more of the player’s first name. The surname stays incomplete.
Scoring
| Correct on | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st guess | 200 |
| 2nd guess | 150 |
| 3rd guess | 100 |
| 4th guess | 50 |
| 5th guess | 25 |
| Not solved | 0 |
A perfect lineup is 1,000 points. If you pick a correct starter in the wrong slot, the game moves that player to the right position and applies a visible 25-point penalty.
A moved hit uses the destination position’s next attempt and score tier; it does not consume an attempt in the original slot. A closed position cannot receive another player. Repeating the same player in a position is rejected without using an attempt.
Skip player is a safe way to reveal the next clue when you are stuck. It awards zero points for that attempt, does not submit a player, and counts toward the five-attempt limit. Five skips close the position and reveal the answer.
Clues, not spoilers
- Before any miss: position only.
- After one miss: jersey number, age and height.
- After two misses: first-name length and surname initial.
- After three misses: first-name initial.
- After four misses: full first name, surname initial only.
After five misses the slot closes and its answer is revealed. The public answer key opens at 12:00 UTC on the following day, when every timezone has finished that daily challenge.
Daily rhythm
A new challenge appears according to your local timezone. Your formal result is tied to the puzzle ID so leaderboard comparisons stay stable across countries. Read more in the puzzle archive after you finish.
Your timezone is set when you first load a game in this browser session and stays fixed for that session. An open page refreshes at local midnight; an unfinished previous-day challenge then closes. Archive practice is for replay and does not affect daily rankings. Guest progress can be lost if cookies expire or are cleared; sign in to save completed scores to your account.
NBA starting five quiz FAQ
What is the Starting 5 game?
Starting 5 is a free daily NBA starting five quiz. Name the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center from a historic NBA team-season.
Is this a live NBA starting lineup tool?
No. Starting 5 is a historical NBA starting five game, not a live injury report or official NBA games today starting lineup feed. Searches such as NBA starting lineups tonight, daily starting lineups NBA and NBA starting lineups for today describe a different live-sports intent. Each Starting 5 puzzle uses one real team-season and focuses on the five primary starters.
Can I skip a player?
Yes. Skip player uses one attempt for that position, reveals the next available clue and awards zero points for that attempt. Five skips close the position and reveal its answer.
What are the five positions?
The daily NBA lineup puzzle uses point guard (PG), shooting guard (SG), small forward (SF), power forward (PF) and center (C).
How is the NBA lineup quiz scored?
A correct first guess earns 200 points, then 150, 100, 50 and 25 points on later attempts. A perfect five-position lineup is worth 1,000 points.