Los Angeles Lakers
99 – 129
Final
Cleveland Cavaliers
🏟 Rocket Arena
Q1
28 - 24
Dave
Q2
55 - 57
Chris
Q3
77 - 99
Brandon
Final
99 - 129
Mike
💬 From the Host ▼
NBA Squares Demo - See How Live Scoring Works During Any Basketball Game
New to Football Squares? Learn how to play →
Grid is locked
Cleveland Cavaliers
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
5
1
0
9
3
6
2
7
4
8
5
Brandon
Tyler
Emma
Dave
Sarah
Ashley
Tyler
Chris
Nicole
Chris
9
Tyler
Mike
Ashley
Mike
Nicole
James
Jen
Brandon
Ashley
Jen
3
Maria
Dave
Sarah
Chris
Mike
Brandon
Nicole
Sarah
Dave
Mike
2
Sarah
Nicole
Brandon
Chris
Jen
Maria
James
Tyler
Maria
Emma
0
Chris
James
Ashley
Tyler
Jen
Emma
Maria
Ashley
Sarah
Nicole
6
Ashley
Emma
Jen
Dave
Nicole
James
Emma
Maria
Mike
Brandon
8
Brandon
Maria
Chris
Mike
Mike
Tyler
Nicole
Jen
Dave
Tyler
1
Maria
Dave
Ashley
Chris
Mike
Brandon
Brandon
Ashley
Jen
Dave
4
Maria
Mike
Nicole
Emma
Tyler
Dave
Nicole
Chris
Sarah
Tyler
7
James
Jen
Maria
Brandon
Ashley
Mike
Sarah
Sarah
Sarah
James
100/100
Claimed
12
Players
✓
Numbers
Grid

How It Works

How to Read the Grid

The grid is a 10 by 10 board with 100 squares. One team runs along the top (columns) and the other runs along the left side (rows). Each square sits at the intersection of one row number and one column number, which represent the last digit of each team's score.

Before the game starts, players claim squares by clicking on empty cells and entering their name. Once the board is full (or the admin decides it is ready), the admin assigns numbers. This randomly places the digits 0 through 9 along the top and down the side. The randomization keeps things fair because nobody knows which numbers they will get when they claim a square.

At the end of each scoring period, you look at the last digit of each team's score and find where those digits intersect on the grid. The person whose name is in that square wins that period. For example, if Team 1 has 17 points and Team 2 has 23 points, you find the row labeled 7 and the column labeled 3. Whoever claimed that square is the winner for that period.

Winners are highlighted on the grid with color-coded borders and glow effects so they are easy to spot. The scoreboard above the grid also shows each period's score and the winner's name. For a full walkthrough with examples, check out our How to Play guide.

Admin Guide

If you created this game, log in with your admin password using the login form in the sidebar. Once logged in, you will see a set of admin controls above the grid. Here is the recommended order of operations:

  1. Share the game link. Copy the link using the "Copy Link" button and send it to your group. Players can open the link and click any empty square to claim it by entering their name.
  2. Wait for players to fill the board. You can track progress in the sidebar, which shows how many squares are claimed and who has claimed them. If you need to fill squares yourself, use the "Quick assign" dropdown to select or create a player name, then tap squares to assign them.
  3. Assign numbers. Once all 100 squares are filled (or as many as you plan to fill), click "Assign Numbers" to randomly place digits 0 through 9 along the rows and columns. Do this before the game starts. Numbers must be assigned for live scoring and automatic winner highlighting to work. Numbers can only be assigned once, so make sure the board is complete before clicking.
  4. Lock the grid. Click the Lock button to prevent further changes. This is recommended at least 30 minutes before the game starts. You can unlock and relock as needed.
  5. Enter scores (manual games only). If you did not link to a scheduled game, click the "Scores" button to manually enter scores at the end of each period. For linked games, scores update automatically.

Editing squares: As admin, you can click any square to change or clear the name, even when the grid is locked. This is useful if someone needs to swap out or if you need to fix a typo. All changes are logged in the Activity section of the sidebar so there is a full audit trail.

Settings: Click the gear icon to access game settings. From there you can update team names, team colors, the game title, scoring format, and the custom message that appears at the top of the page. You can also change the player password or link the game to a scheduled matchup for live scoring.

How Live Scoring Works

If your game is linked to a scheduled matchup, scores are tracked automatically during the game. Our system checks for score updates in the background every few minutes and saves them to your game. To see the latest scores, just refresh the page. You do not need to enter scores yourself.

When a scoring period ends, the system matches the last digit of each team's score to the grid and determines the winner. The winner's name appears in the scoreboard section above the grid, in the Winners panel in the sidebar, and the winning square is highlighted directly on the board. Multiple people can be watching the same game at the same time, and everyone sees the same results when they refresh.

Score delays: Live scores may be delayed by up to 10 minutes depending on the data source. This is normal and the scores will catch up. If you notice a score has not updated yet, try refreshing the page in a minute or two. The admin can also enter or correct scores manually at any time through the Scores panel.

Overtime: How overtime is handled depends on the scoring format chosen when the game was created. In Standard mode, the final score (including overtime) determines the last winner. In "With Overtime" mode, the end-of-regulation score is tracked separately, and if the game goes to OT, an additional winner is declared based on the final score after overtime. You can learn more about this on our Tips & Strategies page.

Supported Sports

Football squares work with any sport that has a numeric score. Our platform supports live score tracking for the following leagues:

The number of scoring periods varies by sport. Football and NBA games have four quarters, NHL games have three periods, and college basketball games have two halves. The grid adjusts automatically based on the sport, so the scoreboard always shows the right period labels and the correct number of winners.

You can also create a manual game for any event by choosing "Manual" on the create page. This lets you enter any team names and update scores yourself. People have used this for award shows, baby showers, and other creative events.