The Greatest Comebacks in NBA History, Ranked
Brooklyn Nets @ Phoenix Suns 02/16/2021
James Harden led the Nets’ 24-point comeback with 38 points and 11 assists despite having to do without teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The Suns built a 75-54 lead at halftime but went scoreless in the game’s last two minutes. Joe Harris added 22 points, while the Nets’ bench provided 40 critical points.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors 01/07/2017
Steph Curry scored a whopping 40 points, but the Warriors gave up a 24-point lead to the Grizzlies, losing 128-119. Memphis outscored Golden State 32-13 in the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant, who had recently joined the Warriors at the time, finished with 27 points but missed five free throws. Even though Golden State went on to win back-to-back titles, this was the first game where the team showed poor body language, ending their experiment with Durant.
Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls 10/30/2010
“MVP” chants swirled around the arena for Derrick Rose during the Bulls’ 101-91 win over the Pistons. Rose tied his career-high with 39 points, shooting 48% from the field.
The Pistons gave up a 21-point third-quarter lead to the Bulls and were outscored 34-9 fourth quarter. The Bulls became the top-seed team in the East, and Rose became the team’s first MVP since Michael Jordan in 1998.
Toronto Raptors @ Dallas Mavericks 02/25/2006
The Mavericks extended their home winning streak to 14 games after coming back from a 25-point deficit to defeat the Raptors 115-113 in overtime. Dirk Nowitzki hit the game-winner with his vintage fadeaway jumper.
Nowitzki became the Mavericks’ first MVP, leading the Mavs all the way to the 2006 NBA Finals, though they were unable to defeat the Miami Heat for the title.
So, what makes a good NBA comeback? It’s a few ingredients, but most classic comebacks involve great players and large deficits. Timing is essential. Comebacks in the spring are more memorable than those in the fall or winter—the closer to the Finals, the better the comeback. So let’s go through some of the most epic games we can recall, and rank the best comebacks in NBA history.