9 Of The Best Regular Season Comeback Wins In NBA History

The Best Comebacks in NBA History.

Karl Malone and John Stockton of the Utah Jazz. (Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press)

The sportsbooks are usually fairly on point with the NBA games. However, there are a few things that can shake that security. When you are looking at the NBA betting odds, you can feel secure in your wagers, however, it is totally possible for a team to surprise. 

There have been many occasions in NBA history where a team has rocked the odds and become a comeback team, surprising everyone. 

We all love the story of an underdog no doubt and we love them and keep everything crossed that they will have wild successes. This is very true in basketball, where this is actually a fairly regular occurrence. 

If you are a long-term fan of the sport then you will often have seen some amazing comebacks — ones you did expect and many you didn’t. 

So, today, we will talk about some of the most legendary regular season comebacks in the history of the NBA. 

There are many instances where we have seen truly epic comebacks from teams, but these 9 stand high above the rest of them. 

And, we cannot deny, number 1 is probably the absolute best comeback we have ever seen — we are sure you will agree. 

#1. Utah Jazz Vs Denver Nuggets, 1996

This is undoubtedly the biggest comeback anyone has ever seen in NBA history. It happened in 1996 when the Utah Jazz were down by 36 points against the Denver Nuggets. Everyone thought the game was lost for them. 

They were trailing by this much until very late in the second quarter. However, in the second half, they fired back hard. 

Even though they were down 70-36 at the halfway point, they outscored the Nuggets by 40 before the game ended. 

They won by 107-103 and made the crowd and everyone who watched go wild. 

Some teams have since come close to making a comeback this crazy. However, 36 still remains to be the biggest since it happened, and that was almost three whole decades ago. 

#2. Sacramento Kings Vs Chicago Bulls, 2009

This is our second choice because it is definitely the second-biggest comeback we have ever seen. 

It happened during the regular season, in a match between the Kings and the Bulls. The Kings came back from being down 79-44 in halftime to switch things around to 102-98.

There looked to be little hope at the start of the 3rd quarter. But they went on a 19-5 run, followed by a 22-7 spurt in the 4th. 

#3. Boston Celtics Vs San Antonio Spurs, 2021

This only happened recently, so it may still be fresh in your mind. This happened in April 2021 when the Celtics managed to overcome a 32 point deficit when they faced the Spurs. 

This went into overtime too, which made everything more thrilling. 

The game ended with a final score of 143 to 140. 

It was led by Tatum’s 60-point masterpiece, and the Celtics put together an insane 42-point 3rd quarter performance when they were down by more than 30 points! 

#4. Los Angeles Clippers Vs Golden State Warriors, 2019

In 2019, the Clippers shocked the Warriors in an incredible comeback. The Warriors were already favorites to win, and the Clippers were already down a game. Trailing by 31 points with seven minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, they managed to come back with a 25-10 run followed by a very strong 4th quarter that landed them a 135-131 win! 

It is not as massive as the previous examples, but it is also the largest playoff comeback in the history of the NBA. 

#5. Golden State Warriors Vs Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016

This time, the comeback did not happen in one game alone. The 2016 NBA Finals was pure chaos. There have been many 3-1 comebacks in the playoffs over the years. However, this one was incredible. 

They were down 3-1, and LeBron James and his team rallied against what people found to be the greatest team ever made. They played a near-perfect game in all three games. They won all of them in an astounding way. 

Okay, there were many factors at play here. However, it was an overall impressive comeback for the team. 

#6. Toronto Raptors Vs Dallas Mavericks, 2019

When Toronto faced Dallas in 2019, the Mavericks were too hot to handle. The Raptors were 30 points down but they made an epic comeback and beat the Mavericks, 110-107. 

This is nearly one of the largest ever comebacks in NBA history. 

Chris Boucher even scored himself a career-high 21 points in that game.

#7. Los Angeles Clippers Vs Dallas Mavericks, 2002 

In 2002, the Mavericks lost their starting forwards Adrian Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki to injury, and things were looking pretty bleak. It was not the most ferocious game of all-time, and the Clippers game wasn’t high and mighty. 

Yet it was a very close-call game. With the Clippers coming back hard in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks still stole the game, 122-95.

#8. Los Angeles Clippers Vs Washington Wizards, 2022

The Clippers recently faced the Wizards, in which they claimed one of the best comebacks in history. They were trailing behind by 35 points but managed to win the game, 116-115. 

It is not the biggest comeback in the history of basketball, but it sure was the closest. 

Washington was up 32-23 in the 1st quarter and put up another 34 points to Los Angeles’ 13 in the 2nd. However, by the 3rd quarter, everything started to fall apart. 

They turned it around and made history.

#9. Golden State Warriors Vs Milwaukee Bucks, 1975

Let’s finish off with one of the oldest comebacks we ever saw. 

The Warriors were trailing the Bucks throughout the game. In the 1st quarter, they were trailing the Bucks, 32-13. This continued into the 2nd and 3rd quarters. However, in the 4th quarter, they scored 32 to the Bucks’ 14, and ended up taking the game ,106-105. 

They put up a scoring clinic in the 4th quarter, and they won the game by a precarious single point. 

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