Biggest Single-Game Comebacks in NBA Finals History

What is the biggest single-game comeback in the history of the NBA Finals?

Throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs, we have seen quite a few stunning come-from-behind wins - many of which have been the Indiana Pacers’ doing.

In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Indiana came back from down 15 points to steal a victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who led for the entire game until Tyrese Haliburton's heroic game-winning jumper that left 0.3 seconds on the clock.

The Pacers also made impossible last-minute comebacks against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks earlier these playoffs.

On bet365, the over-under for largest comeback victory in the 2025 NBA Finals is set at 16.5 points.

Let’s take a look at the largest single-game comebacks in the history of the Finals.

24 points – Lakers vs. Celtics Game 4 (2008)

The 2008 Boston Celtics hold the record for the largest single-game comeback in NBA Finals history, when they came back from 24 down to win Game 4 in the 2008 Finals.

In that game, the Lakers jumped out to a 21-point first quarter lead behind 6/6 FG from Lamar Odom and stifling team defense. By halftime, LA held an 18-point lead even though Kobe Bryant was yet to make a field goal.

The C’s stormed back in the third quarter to trail by two entering the fourth and outscored the Lakers 26-18 in the final quarter to win 97-91. Boston saw five players score at least eight points in the second half, led by Paul Pierce’s 14, while the Lakers shot 33.3% from the field and went 0/8 from beyond the arc.

The victory gave Boston a 3-1 series lead and propelled them to their first NBA title in 22 years.

20 points – Rockets vs. Magic Game 1 (1995)

The only other 20-point comeback victory in NBA Finals history occurred during the series opener of the 1995 Finals between the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic.

This game is best known for Magic guard Nick Anderson missing four late free throws that could have iced the game for Orlando, but it also involved the second-biggest collapse in Finals history to even get there.

Behind Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, the Magic jumped out to a 20-point first half lead before Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets clawed back. Houston outscored Orlando 37-19 in the third quarter, setting up a grandstand finish.

Orlando led by three in the final seconds, but Anderson’s missed free throws opened the door for Kenny Smith to hit a game-tying three and send the game to overtime.

Olajuwon tipped in the game-winner in OT, Houston won 120-118, and the underdog Rockets went on to sweep the Magic and win a second-straight NBA title.

15 points - Pacers vs. Thunder Game 1 (2025)

After shocking the Bucks, Cavaliers and Knicks with improbable, last-second comeback wins on their road to the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers did it again in Game 1 in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.

OKC, a 9.5-point favorite in Game 1, did not trail for the first 47 minutes and 59 seconds of game time. The heavily-favored Thunder held around a double-digit lead from the end of the first quarter until the middle of the fourth, including a 15-point lead with 9:42 remaining in the game. Indiana never let it get away from them, though, setting up another patented fourth-quarter surge we saw so many times in the 2025 playoffs.

The Pacers scored 15 of the next 19 points, all coming from Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin or Myles Turner. They held OKC to 7/19 FG (0/5 3P) in the final period while putting up 12/24 FG and 6/10 3P themselves.

Trailing by one with less than 10 seconds to go, Haliburton took the ball up the court and calmly sunk a mid-range jumper, giving Indiana a 111-110 lead with 0.3 seconds to go and stealing a road win in front of a shell-shocked OKC crowd.

15 points – Mavericks vs. Heat Game 2 (2011)

Another monumental NBA Finals upset was aided by a come-from-behind victory early in the series.

The first year of the “big three” in Miami resulted in an NBA Finals appearance, where LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh faced off against the underdog Mavericks led by Dirk Nowitzki.

On paper, Dallas was overmatched. After losing Game 1 and trailing by 15 in the fourth quarter of Game 2, it looked even bleaker for the Mavs, who were staring at an 0-2 series deficit against arguably the most talented team of the century.

The game was relatively close throughout, but Dallas fell behind after a Heat surge and trailed 88-73 with 7:13 left in the fourth quarter.

The Mavs then scored 17 of the next 19 points to even the game 90-90 with less than a minute remaining.

What followed was the defining moment of the Mavericks’ championship run: Nowitzki nailed a tough left-handed layup to give Dallas a two-point lead in the final seconds, securing the Game 2 victory and ultimately pushing them toward the NBA title.

13 points – 4 games tied

Four times in NBA Finals history has a team come from 13 points down to win a game.

The most recent instance came in the 2024 Finals, when the Boston Celtics went up 3-0 against the Dallas Mavericks after erasing an early 13-point deficit. The eventual champions ended up leading by 21 in the game.

12 years earlier, the Heat, seeking their first title with LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh, blew a 13-point lead in Game 3 against Kevin Durant and the Thunder. OKC got the Game 1 victory, but Miami won the series in five games.

It happened in 2006, again involving Miami and Dallas. In Game 3, the Heat trailed 0-2 in the series and by 13 with less than seven minutes to go in the game. Dwyane Wade led a furious fourth quarter comeback to steal a win, the first of four-straight for Miami as they went on to win the franchise’s first NBA title.

Lastly, an article detailing memorable moments in the history of the NBA Finals would not complete without mentioning Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

In Game 6 of the 1992 Finals vs. the Trail Blazers, Chicago trailed by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter. A loss would send the series to a Game 7 back in Portland. Jordan, Scottie Pippen and co. had other ideas.

The Bulls outscored Portland 33-14 in the fourth to clinch their second-straight NBA title, and second of six in the 1990s.