How to Use jump ball in a Sentence

jump ball

noun
  • What was once his race to lose now looks more like a jump ball.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 15 Oct. 2021
  • Those are tough numbers for a big body that should win jump balls.
    — cleveland, 16 Apr. 2020
  • Play was stopped for about a minute before the game resumed with a jump ball.
    — Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2026
  • The ball could be out of bounds or in a different spot or even be ruled a jump ball.
    — Jake Fischer, SI.com, 10 July 2019
  • On the rebound of Love’s post miss, the Cavs forced a jump ball.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 6 Nov. 2019
  • Because, of course, the joke was, none of those drivers were tall enough to snag a jump ball.
    — Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, 20 May 2021
  • On the next possession, Pritchard dove on the floor and forced a jump ball.
    — Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2018
  • Auburn won the jump ball, and McCormick hit the third three of the night.
    — Giana Han, al, 6 Dec. 2019
  • The Bucks star then knocked the ball away from Butler and forced a jump ball.
    — Ben Steele, USA TODAY, 22 May 2021
  • The call on the court was a jump ball because the refs couldn't determine who knocked it out.
    — Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2018
  • Officials overturned the call and the game came down to a jump ball at midcourt.
    — Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 31 Oct. 2019
  • What was her reaction to getting to do the game-opening jump ball?
    — Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Play resumed with a jump ball at midcourt that the Knicks controlled.
    — CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
  • Payton helped key a 14-2 run with a pair of steals and by forcing a jump ball.
    — Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
  • On the next play, Herbert threw a jump ball to Johnston in the end zone.
    — Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 31 July 2024
  • There were jump balls caused by the Mustangs that went in Friendswood’s favor.
    — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 11 Jan. 2020
  • The Celtics won the jump ball, then called timeout with 13 seconds left.
    — Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2024
  • The Warriors won the jump ball but couldn’t score, sending the game to overtime.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Essentially, the state remains a jump ball, and one that is tough to catch and even tougher to hold.
    — Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024
  • With 6 seconds remaining in a one-point game, the two teams were sent to mid-court for a jump ball.
    — Journal Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Davion Mitchell brought the ball down while Allen was on the floor after falling from the jump ball.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Play was paused for a minute, and eventually resumed after a jump ball.
    — Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
  • Purdy loves throwing jump balls and Evans is one of the greats in that department.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Don't get any ideas of James stepping on the court for the jump ball and then heading to the bench, either.
    — Joe Vardon, cleveland.com, 9 Apr. 2018
  • Cardwell refused to let go, even after officials called for a jump ball.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026
  • If the Suns win a jump ball and the basketball comes to Dunn, watch the rookie.
    — Fred Katz, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Robles missed a short jumper with five seconds left, but a jump ball on the rebound gave the ball back to Ridge.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2024
  • The incident caused the game to be paused for a short time before play got back underway with a jump ball.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
  • Then, Bogdanovic jumped on Leonard for the jump ball — which Bogdanovic won.
    — Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 June 2021
  • Gray missed a shot in the lane but, following a tie-up, the Aces won a jump ball to set up the go-ahead shot.
    — ABC News, 17 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jump ball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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