No lead has ever been too safe in the NBA, more so in the last decade, which has witnessed some of the most incredible and nearly impossible comebacks in history. 

The league has evolved into something even more unpredictable, and the NBA has seen offensive explosions that have seen 20-point deficits overturned remarkably.

In previous eras, a 15-point comeback was huge in the context of things. Defenses were tighter with rules that made offense harder. Which makes the Utah Jazz’s record 36-point comeback against the Dallas Mavericks in 1996 feel impossible at the time. 

But now, in the last decade, a number of teams have come close to that. 

The game right now is favoring offense, and comebacks have been powered by this. In the last decade, some comebacks have risen above the rest because they defy the scoreboard, logic, injuries, expectations, and sometimes the very idea that talent alone decides games. 

The 10 Largest Comebacks of the Last Decade

10. Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings, March 19, 2019 – 25 points

The Nets looked dead and buried at the start of the fourth quarter against the Kings. They trailed by 25 points until D’Angelo Russell took over and scored a career-high 44 points, including 27 in the fourth quarter alone, the most points in any quarter that season. He added six 3s and 12 assists. 

With 0.8 seconds left and the score tied at 121, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson slipped behind the defense for a layup that gave the Nets a 123-121 victory. It was the largest second-half comeback of the season at the time and tied for the biggest overall.

9. San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers, March 6, 2026 – 25 points

The Spurs were trailing by 20 at halftime, which stretched to 24 points at the start of the third quarter against a Clippers team riding high on the back of a three-game win streak. The Spurs were chasing the top seed in the West and needed the victory. Kawhi Leonard dropped 30 on his old team, but that wasn’t enough as San Antonio outscored LA 70-46 in the second half. 

Victor Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, including the go-ahead dunk with 16 seconds left after a defensive stop on Leonard. Julian Champagnie added 20 points and five 3s as the Spurs saw out a 116-112. 

San Antonio has now won seven games this season when trailing by 15 or more, the most in the league.

8. San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings, March 8, 2017 – 28 points

This one happened at the opposite end of this current Spurs team. They were rolling toward yet another 50-win season under Gregg Popovich and were without Leonard for the game against the Kings. 

After a horrible start, San Antonio was down 28 points in the first quarter against a mediocre Kings team. It looked like the most unlikely of blowouts was on the cards. 

However, with a ton of basketball left, Manu Ginobili dropped 19 off the bench, and David Lee added 18 and 10 rebounds. The Spurs outscored the Kings 99-67 after that disastrous start and won 114-104. 

That victory set a franchise record for the largest first-quarter deficit overcome at the time.

7. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Sacramento Kings, April 10, 2019 – 28 points

The Kings were at the receiving end of yet another comeback, this time against the Portland Trail Blazers in the last game of the regular season. The Blazers needed the win to lock down the No. 3 spot in the West, but trotted out a makeshift lineup heavy on rookies and bench guys because stars were resting or banged up. They ended up playing with just six players that night.

They went down 25 at halftime and 28 at one point in the third quarter and looked cooked. But they rallied back behind Anfernee Simons who, in his first career start as a rookie, had a career-high 37 points on 13-for-21 shooting, including seven 3-pointers. Skal Labissiere added 29 and 15 rebounds as Portland outscored Sacramento 74-44 in the second half and won 136-131. That was the resolve the Blazers played with that year, the one that took them to the Western Conference finals only to fall short to the Golden State Warriors.

6. Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks, Feb. 17, 2022 – 28 points

The Nets were decimated with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons all out and found themselves down 21 points in the first half against a Knicks team that smelled blood at home. 

That lead stretched to a 28-point gap, and the Nets were destined for a blowout. 

That wasn’t the case as rookie guard Cam Thomas, who was barely in the rotation, rallied the Nets. He scored 16 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 7.7 seconds left as Brooklyn stormed back to win 111-106, tying the franchise record for largest comeback. 

It was their second straight win after the Harden trade and in front of a stunned New York crowd, made it more memorable.

5. Toronto Raptors vs. Dallas Mavericks, Dec. 22, 2019 — 30 points 

The Raptors were the defending champions but found themselves down 30 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter. 

Toronto had been outscored 69-43 across the second and third quarters and looked finished. But they fought back in the final quarter for their biggest ever comeback in franchise history. 

Kyle Lowry, veteran floor general and already the heart and soul of that franchise, poured in 20 of his 32 points in the fourth alone, draining four 3s and orchestrating a masterclass. 

The Raptors had a franchise-record 47-point fourth quarter, outscoring Dallas 47-21. Hollis-Jefferson scored two free throws that gave Toronto its first second-half lead at 98-97. The Mavericks then missed 11 straight field goals as the Raptors sealed a 110-107 victory.

4. Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics, March 25, 2024 — 30 points 

The Celtics, fresh off clinching the East’s top seed and leading the entire NBA, looked to have the game all wrapped up against the Hawks. 

Al Horford’s 3-pointer made it 68-38 late in the second quarter; 30 points looked like a huge mountain to climb for the Hawks who were missing their best player, Trae Young.

Three minutes into the fourth, Wesley Matthews’ three gave Atlanta its first lead at 97-96. De’Andre Hunter led the comeback in the fourth as he dropped 24 points, including the 3-pointer from 26 feet with 9.2 seconds left. It was an improbable win in the context of things. The Celtics were the best team at that time, were on a nine-game winning run before that, and couldn’t win on the back of a 37-point game from Jayson Tatum.

3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors, April 15, 2019 — 31 points

In the first round of the 2019 playoffs, the three-time defending champions Warriors had just taken Game 1 and by the third quarter of Game 2 led by 31. The eighth-seeded Clippers were supposed to fold but they didn’t.

Lou Williams led the Clippers, who outscored the Warriors 85-58 in the second half. Williams dropped 36 points and 11 assists to help the franchise to the greatest postseason comeback in NBA history. 

Landry Shamet hit the go-ahead 3 with 16.5 seconds left, which Steph Curry didn’t answer as the game ended 135-131 and the series was tied one game apiece. 

It broke the previous playoff comeback record — which was 29 points set by the 1989 Los Angeles Lakers — and snapped Golden State’s seven-game postseason winning streak.

2. Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs, April 30, 2021 — 32 points

The Spurs, led by DeMar DeRozan with 30 points and 14 assists, had built a 32-point lead in the second quarter and still held a 31-point edge early in the third while shooting 71.4 % in the first half. Boston was getting booed off the floor at halftime.

Jayson Tatum ignited the comeback by dropping a career-high 60 points which tied Larry Bird’s franchise record, including 21 in the fourth and 10 more in overtime. He had 50 by the end of regulation. 

The Celtics outscored the Spurs 42-26 in the third and 38-25 in the fourth to force OT. Jaylen Brown hit a go-ahead 3 with 16.7 seconds left, which Tatum followed with two free throws, as Boston won 143-140.

1. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Washington Wizards, Jan. 25, 2022 — 35 points

The Clippers, who were without Leonard, trailed by 30 points at halftime. That gap was 35 at some point. 

Washington had routed in the second quarter, outscoring LA 34-13. The Clippers knew they had to do something special to get something from the game, something no other team in NBA history had done in the last decade, which was to win a game after a 35-point deficit.

They had a second-half masterclass, including a 40-27 run in the third and a 40-22 run in the fourth. 

Luke Kennard, who had 25 points on the night, took over with nine seconds left. He drained a 32-footer to cut it to two and hit another 3 while getting fouled by Bradley Beal. The hoop and the harm tied it at 115; then, he hit a free throw to win it with 1.9 seconds left to hand the Clippers a 116-115 win.

The NBA is never over until it’s over

The last decade has given a lot to ponder upon. 

From title runs to title defenses that have failed, but one thing that has remained from history is the comebacks. 

Games aren’t always done and dusted, even at a 25 or 30-point lead. These comebacks have been few and far between because the game has evolved toward spacing, pace, and skill. The margin for error is razor-thin because a large lead can be wiped out in minutes. 

There is nothing like a “safe lead” when there isn’t any total control of the game, and, with players shooting more, leads can be erased with one or two 3-point flurries.