What is the biggest comeback win in NBA history?
Comebacks are a part of sports and everyone loves a come-from-behind story. The NBA has seen several such incredible comebacks in its history and many have left fans baffled. It is a true testament to your will and resilience to not give up despite the odds being against you. In the ongoing NBA playoffs, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks stunned the Philadelphia crowd after they mounted a 26-point comeback in Game 5.
Comeback stories are some of the most iconic moments in sports. Almost everyone knows about the time when Tracy McGrady scored 13 points in 33 seconds to win the game for the Houston Rockets. But let's focus on the biggest comeback ever in NBA history.
What was the biggest comeback in the NBA?
On November 27th, 1996, the Utah Jazz hosted the Denver Nuggets. The Jazz had an All-Star duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton and were 10-2 to begin the season. The Denver Nuggets were 5-10. This could turn out to be Malone's MVP season.
The game started with the Denver Nuggets shooting lights out. Dale Ellis, Bryant Stith and Antonio McDyess started the game hot from the field and combined for 33 points on 86% shooting as the Nuggets took a 37-19 first-quarter lead. The second quarter was more or less the same as the Nuggets outscored the Jazz 34-17. By halftime, the score was 71-36 in favor of Denver and the Jazz seemed out of it. Karl Malone was 4-11, John Stockton was 1-4 and Jeff Hornacek was 6-14 at halftime.
Given this is a comeback story, you can guess what happened. The Utah Jazz came out of the locker room in the third quarter and turned things up a notch. Karl Malone went on a rampage, scoring 15 points in the third quarter, and the Jazz outscored the Nuggets 36-15. Halfway through the comeback, the Jazz didn't lose sight of their goal and kept up the scoring barrage. They went on to outscore Denver 35-17 in the final quarter and get a 107-103 victory.
The roles switched at halftime and the Utah Jazz mounted the greatest comeback in NBA history with a 36-point comeback. Karl Malone ended the night with a game-high 31 points on 13-25 shooting. John Stockton did his usual things of grabbing four steals and dishing out 10 assists while Jeff Hornacek contributed with 29 points.
Which is the greatest comeback in the NBA playoffs?
In Game 2 of round 1 of the 2019 NBA playoffs, the LA Clippers were massive underdogs against the superteam of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were on their way to their fifth consecutive NBA Finals and trying to accomplish a three-peat.
The Golden State Warriors' formidable team of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins scored 73 points in the first half while the Clippers were at 50.
The Clippers had the likes of Patrick Beverly, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Ivica Zubac, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Landry Shamet. They mounted a 31-point comeback to upset the Warriors 135-131 for the biggest NBA playoff comeback in league history.
Also Read: 5 Highest scoring triple-doubles in NBA Playoffs history