READING THE BOX SCORE
What does plus-minus mean in basketball?
Plus-minus is the difference between your team’s points and the opponent’s points while you are on the court.
Reviewed October 14, 2026 · By Selim YörükA positive number means your team outscored its opponent during your minutes. A negative number means it was outscored. This is the traditional +/− shown in a box score, as defined by the NBA Stats glossary.
A simple plus-minus example
Imagine your team scores 24 points and allows 17 while you play. Your plus-minus for that stint is +7, regardless of how many of those points you personally scored.
If your next stint is −4, your game total becomes +3. Points scored while you are on the bench do not enter your individual plus-minus. These numbers are illustrative, not a recorded NBA game.
Can you play well and finish with a negative plus-minus?
Yes. Imagine scoring efficiently and creating good shots while your lineup gives up even more points at the other end. Your personal box score could look strong while the team’s scoring margin during your minutes is negative.
The reverse can happen too: your lineup can win its minutes while you contribute little to the recorded box score. Plus-minus describes the shared scoreboard result. It does not identify how much of that result each player caused.
Is a higher plus-minus always better?
It is a better scoring margin for those minutes. On its own, it does not prove one player performed better than another. Teammates, opponents, substitutions and shooting variation affect that margin. A single short stint can swing sharply.
Read it alongside minutes, lineups, game context and individual statistics. A larger sample gives you more evidence, but raw plus-minus still does not isolate individual impact.
Plus-minus, Game Score and The 48 Index
| Metric | What it describes | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Plus-minus | The team’s scoring margin during a player’s minutes. | Shared with the lineups on the floor; not an individual box-score formula. |
| Game Score | A weighted summary of an individual game’s box-score production. | Does not capture every contribution or adjust for playing time. |
| Overall Index | Our game-level Game Score equivalent scaled to 48 minutes, then averaged over the chosen games. | A production rate, not plus-minus or a complete measure of impact. |
Our Overall Index does not use plus-minus as an input. See the formula and Game Score comparison for the exact relationship. Box Plus/Minus (BPM) is another, separately calculated metric; it should not be confused with raw box-score +/−.
How to use this on The 48 Index
Use Compare Players to compare recorded production under the same filters. Use the game pages to inspect individual box scores. Neither replaces watching the possessions or considering who was on the court.